Anata Nara Anshin
by tsukik0nek0
Summary: Hyde has agreed to star with the infamous Gackt in his movie Moon Child. Things start to heat up on and off set and Hyde struggles with possibly starting a relationship with Gackt while keeping it secret. Switching POVs, GacktxHyde. UPDATED 9-14-08
1. Chapter 1a ' Hyde's POV

Title: Anata nara anshin  
Pairing: Gackt/Hyde  
_mentions of Megumi, fellow L'ArcenCiel members, former Sakura/Hyde, and GacktJOB present.  
_Rating: T – sexually implied situations, some cursing  
Chapter 1 of …?

-_Hyde POV_

_Title comes from Gackt's song "Another World", which he wrote and filmed the PV with the intent of Moon Child in mind. (at least according to what I read) The line translates roughly to "If it's you, then I'm okay."_

_Hyde is contacted by the infamous Gackt to star in his movie project. He visits Gackt's house for a script read and something starts to brew between them.  
_

* * *

_**M**__aybe this was a bad idea_, I begin to think as I head down the road leading closer to Gackt's lavish abode. Or at least I assume it will be lavish. It is Gackt after all, so why wouldn't it be? 

I've only met the guy once in person; it was over dinner (when I stop to recall it, that itself was lavish), and this was where he pitched his movie idea to me. It was also where I got the strange sense that Gackt was almost like my stalker, the way he droned on about how much he admired me, could only envision myself playing this character, and had been following my career closely for years, using my recent solo stint as an excuse to jump on the chance that I would want do work in films.

Films. Movies. An actor? I hardly consider myself one and when I told Gackt that he explained that every time we're on stage or filming a PV, or making some sort of showing in front of our intended target public we were acting. I couldn't really argue that point. The music business, especially in Japan, was a highly competitive market. And there I sat, across from my very competition in that market and he was pitching that he wanted to work _with_ me.

I told him I would have to consider it seriously.

Because seriously I didn't know if I wanted to work in films. It wasn't the first time I had been asked either. Many offers I had turned down. Too often musicians were portrayed badly when they jumped to the big screen and I didn't want that for myself. It was already a big risk when I stepped away from Laruku to do my own thing and already reviews and some criticisms were coming in about my sudden turn to ballads and softer sounding music. Hey these tunes have been in my head since the early days of L'Arc, and I imagine Sakura himself, that is if he pays attention to me anymore, could attest to that upon popping the_ Evergreen_ single in his CD player… It was finally a chance to let these songs out and let the world hear that Hyde wasn't just a badass rockstar (which of course I still am), but also has a softer side and can produce damn good balladic melodies (when not under the reigning eye of Tetsu).

Perhaps those tunes struck a chord with Gackt. Although he said he'd been dreaming of me (_oh God, Gackt dreams of me?!)_ playing this part since the idea entered his head a few years back, I wonder what finally gave him the courage to pursue it. Making a movie isn't like making a song, at least not in my eyes. But then this is Gackt, almighty Gackt, the one and only Gackt and it appears that he does whatever he damn well pleases (and much to my and most Japanese stars chagrin, succeeds).

He called me exactly 4 days after our dinner, telling me that he knew the sure fire way to get my answer; to read the script. Obviously that would be a big help, as Gackt's overly detailed plotline he described with large gestures over his plate of lettuce was too much for my brain to comprehend, not to mention he uses awfully big words and some I'm not sure even exist in the Japanese language (or any other language, for that matter).

And now I found myself heading up the driveway to what is, just as I expected, a lavish abode belonging to Gackt. My mouth hangs open as I step out of my car, clicking to lock it and adjusting my snakeskin jacket as I make my way to the door. _Stay cool, Hyde_, I tell myself, wondering what the strange bundle of butterflies in my stomach is doing fluttering around at a time like this. It's just a giant home belonging to an eccentric pop-rock star; no reason to be nervous.

I raised my hand to knock on the door and as if anticipating it, the door creaked open slowly and eerily. What made it eerie was that there appeared to be no one opening it – it was moving of its own accord. I leaned in slightly, attempting to peer around but it was completely dark inside. "Gackt?" I called and quickly checked the address in my back pocket to make sure I was at the right place. It looked right but it felt wrong. I stepped back a bit, scratching my head when suddenly he appeared.

Gackt leaned along the frame of the doorway. "Hyde…" he coos, blue contacts piercing at me. There is a distinct scent radiating from him, _Chanel Egoiste_ or something with an otherwise equally fitting name for its abuser wearer. His arms are crossed over a loud, flashy shirt, two overly bleached stray hairs probably strategically placed to cross over one eyebrow and hang just where they did, and lest I allow my eyes to trail down, but discover the tightest snake skin pants I've ever seen. Ever. As I look back up to his face I see him smirking slightly and it causes the faintest blush across my cheeks.

"I wasn't sure this was the right place," I start, desperate to make conversation.

"Forgive me," he begins, standing up straight and giving a slight bow. "Why don't you come on inside," Gackt stepped back, opening the door fully and extending an arm into his dark home. I smiled and stepped in slowly, wondering how a place could be so dark and waiting for Gackt to turn on a light, or at least hoping my eyes would adjust as Gackt was already shutting the door behind me and all natural light was already fading out of view.

"Uh, I can't see anything Gackt," I started and I heard a quiet chuckling behind me. It was enough to make goose bumps appear along my arms but soon I noticed a small flame flickering in one corner and eventually my eyes became aware of several of them around me.

"I prefer the dark," Gackt began and I heard his voice moving away from me. I assumed that perhaps I should try to follow him but I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, let alone have any clue which direction to head. Thankfully, as Gackt has the annoying ability of, he continued to blabber on about why he preferred such darkness. "There is so much more to the atmosphere when things are shrouded. Light actually contorts things, did you know that Hyde?" I staggered along foolishly, using only the sound of his voice to help me find my way. "The minds eye perceives things differently with light shed upon it. In the darkness is where the truth lies. It's calmer, more soothing, and the quiet peace it provides is like none other. I prefer when things are dim…"

Funny, since I kept thinking that the only thing dim in this room right now was Gackt. Doesn't he notice I'm stumbling like an idiot here? Just as I began to get angry my foot snagged on a table leg or maybe a bit of carpet, or for all I know his goddamn cat, but something tripped me up and in an instant I was almost face-first on the floor.

If not for the two strong arms that were suddenly holding me up.

"Careful, Hyde," Gackt whispered and slowly pulled me up until I was flat on my feet again. I gaped up at him, gawked at his agile speed and graceful way of catching me and his warm arms remained under my own arms, long fingers gracing my wing-printed shoulder blades. I could strongly smell his cologne now; yes, _Chanel Platinum Egoiste_, that's the stuff, and I think it started to make me feel somewhat lightheaded. Slowly the warmth retreated as his arms left me and again I was hearing his voice from the other side of the room. I stepped along more slowly now, silently cursing myself for acting like a princess being rescued by a dashing prince (not that I think that's what Gackt is, it's… just a metaphor) just a few minutes ago and blaming it all on his bloody strong cologne, which he apparently bathed in. Or washed the house in. Or perhaps both.

"Gackt, where are you leading me? I can't see a damned thing," I complained, arms reaching out like a blind man for a couch, a table, a coat rack or… something warm and soft resembling… _Oh god_.

Gackt turned around and smirked down at me. "Hyde I don't mind leading you by the hand but this ass-grabbing is just not acceptable for our second date," and then he chuckled.

My face was beetroot red, or at least it would be if there were any lights in the place to prove it. Regardless it felt hot and I quickly retrieved my hands from their spot on his tight ass. I wanted to come back with a retort; something witty and snappy and not at all homosexually implying. So I said back at him,

"Sorry Gackt," in possibly my weakest voice ever. _Yeah. Score one for me._

"Nothing to be sorry for Hyde," he replied and for once his voice didn't sound like it was trailing away from me. Which I was happy for in the sense that this meant I wouldn't lose him in the dark again but at the same time had me on edge when I suddenly felt a warm hand tightly clutching my shoulder. "I prefer to hold that until the third date,"

My eyes bulged. I was too busy blushing over accidentally touching his ass that I hadn't even noticed he was calling our get-togethers 'dates' all of a sudden. I was about to contest but Gackt started laughing so loudly.

"Oh Hyde! You should see your face right now!" and he continued to laugh _at_ me. Yes, because I certainly wasn't laughing with him. I don't even know how he could see my face in this cave of despair but right now I was too embarrassed to care. "Come on," he said, grabbing my arm as he led me toward a room that had at least enough light for me to decipher that it was a living room… or something of the sort. There were –dare I use the term- lavish decorations all around and enough roses to drown out the scent of Gackt's Egoiste cologne. The back wall seemed awful shiny however and my mind wondered how a room with such little light could even produce a glare. It was then that I realized that the entire back wall was actually made of glass. You see? _Very_ lavish.

Gackt stepped forward and as if presenting the room to me he extended his arms, tilted his head back and sighed loudly.

"This is quite a place you have here, Gackt," I said, deciding it was probably okay to make myself comfortable as I removed my boots and snakeskin jacket, glancing around for where exactly I should drop off the items. It was then that I noticed on the ground there were rose petals strewn about as if welcoming someone important. I blinked a few times hoping that this was just part of Gackt's normal home attire and not done specially for me. Just as I was thinking that, Gackt's arms swooped under mine to take my coat and boots off to the side. I told him thank you and found myself a spot on the leather couch.

"Might I offer you a drink, Hyde?" Gackt started, standing before me with a look that he was about to cater to my every need.

"Sure," I started, rubbing my suddenly sweaty hands (oh _why_?) along my jeans as he disappeared. I took this moment to look around the room as best I could. More than anything I was curious as to why the entire back wall was made of glass and what was behind it. I couldn't really tell from my position on the couch so I ventured over to it, cupping my hands on the glass to try and peer through.

"You're curious what's back there?" Gackt's voice caused me to jump and I turned around to see him standing directly behind me, two empty flukes and a bottle of Brandy in his hand.

"Well I've never seen a house with a glass wall in it before," I commented, momentarily eyeing the bottle – _mm, good year_. Gackt chuckled again and made his way over to the couch, setting the glasses on the coffee table near his laptop.

"I'm sure I'll be showing it to you later," he said as he began pouring. He's_ sure_ he'll be showing it to me? What on earth did that mean? I walked over to the couch and sat down, leaving enough space between us for a sumo wrestler to settle in. Gackt glanced over at me after he finished pouring us two glasses. He seemed a little unnerved that I was sitting so far away and I instantly became nervous the moment that smirk began to enter his features.

Gackt took no time in closing the distance between us, his snakeskin pants gliding along his patented leather couch in one swift motion that before I knew it he was practically on top of me, offering the glass of brandy.

"Thank…you," I said and took a small sip. I didn't want to appear as the lush that I sometimes can be when I go out but Gackt had already chugged down near the entire glass. So I didn't feel so bad when I copied his action and drained the fluke.

"Now Hyde," he started, putting his empty glass on the coffee table before turning his attention fully back to me. "The script is still in working order. It has all my original ideas and dialogues but these things often change. Once I find a director and complete the cast and see how everything mingles together it's possible that some of this will be different by time we're ready to put it on film,"

I swallowed the last of the brandy settled in my mouth and wanted to put my glass down on the table except that doing so would require reaching forward and then I'd pretty much be in Gackt's lap. So I sat still, clinging to my empty glass and nodding at the appropriate times while Gackt spoke about the movie.

"However, I feel that most of Sho and Kei's interactions and dialogue will remain mostly the same as I originally envisioned. There is a great intimate bond between them and I can already sense that same chemistry…" Blue eyes sparkled as they looked at me.

"Wait, which ones are Sho and Kei again?" I asked. Gackt smiled at me.

"That's you and I, Hyde. I'm Sho and you are the vampire Kei."

_Dammit_! I just made a total ass of myself by forgetting my character's name. But before I could have a chance to feel embarrassed about it my mind traced back to what Gackt just said about Kei and his 'great intimate bond' with Sho. Shit. I was now feeling very nervous about what this script had in store for me.

"Well, let's get going!" I said, in a sick anxiety to see this thing. Gackt grinned and left my side of the couch, giving me some room to exhale and spread out a bit. He opened up his laptop and asked if I wanted another brandy. Good lord the afternoon was just starting and had a huge script to read over… you bet I did. Before Gackt poured our second drinks he tossed a huge stack of papers on my lap. "What's this?" I asked as Gackt handed me another glass full.

"That's your script," he responded as he opened the same document on his computer. I could barely make out the words on the page in all this darkness and quietly scowled over at Gackt as he began to read out the beginning descriptions of _MOON_.

"Why don't you read your lines aloud, Hyde?" Gackt asked. "I'll play the other characters so we can interact,"

All well and good but I can't even see my damn script. Mumbling to myself I pulled out my lighter and flicked the flame so that I could read along with Kei's lines. As we continued, with Gackt doing awful impersonations of a young child's voice, my lighter ran out of fluid. Cursing to myself I tossed it on the coffee table in front of us and took a sip from my 4th glass of brandy. As Gackt went on to reading the descriptions of what he considered to be a badass yakuza fight with Sho somehow single-handedly taking on hoards of baddies, I realized I had tossed my Zippo lighter in the pocket of my coat. Gackt continued to describe the scene with me occasionally gratifying him with approvals of "un!" in reply as I hunted for my jacket and Zippo. Finally, success was mine. I made my way back to the couch just as Gackt was looking over to my side for me to recite my lines and lit up the Zippo.

"Hidari! Migi! Hidari!" I yelled out the directions, my mind wondering why a scene like this would even take place and why I was such a laid back vampire watching from above while my 'great intimate bonding partner' was on the ground with bullets nearly missing him from every angle.

"Wait, wait Gackt…" I interrupted, flipping the Zippo lid shut. I proceeded to ask him just what was on my mind. As I talked, Gackt leaned back on the couch, a hand holding up his head as he stared at me with a curious smile. "So you see what I'm saying?"

"Hyde, I can understand your confusion. But you have to understand that Sho wants to be independent. As a boy he couldn't wait to get his hands on a gun of his own. He is a head-strong kid. Kei knows better than to try and tell him no because it's only ever led to Sho finding trouble on his own and Kei coming to his rescue. They love to go on heists together. Kei stays above him almost like an angel, watching over Sho to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble. He gives him directions to help his friend keep from getting hurt. You see their bond is like…"

Gackt continued to go on and on and I started to hate myself for ever asking. Clearly Gackt had spent way too much time analyzing this story but at least he had a reason to back up everything he wrote.

"You know what?" I interrupted him, causing his head to jolt a little. "You're totally right. I get it now. I can see what you're saying." I continued with the mindless agreements until I finally got a smile out of Gackt. "Why don't we continue now?"

Although I kind of didn't want to. I was already tired of sitting in the dark and the brandy was working its way through my body. When we reached a good place to stop I reached over to Gackt, lying my hand gently on his arm to get his attention.

"Do you mind if we take a break? I need to get up and stretch and… make use of your toilet." Gackt closed his laptop indicating to me that he agreed. He stood up and stretched his arms high over his head, his shirt rising up to reveal what 'washboard abs' actually meant. My jaw dropped. Yes okay I admit it. Sure I thought those naked centerfold photos of his were a ridiculous publicity stunt of some sort and that he had to be photoshopped beyond belief because no man is that good looking. But here it appeared that I was proven wrong. _Completely _wrong.

Maybe this is the part where I should stop and explain where I stand. In the beginning I didn't mind so much when they said I was gay – I guess I asked for it dressing like a gypsy queen in our early days and all those rumors about me and Sakura… well I can tell you that some of them are true. So when he left the band and our image was 'tainted', as it were, I had to harden my image. I didn't want to be called gay anymore because Sakura was out of my life and I had nearly hit rock bottom. Of course after that L'ArcenCiel grew drastically and went on to become the most famous band in Japan (well we are, right?) that I became someone else entirely. I married a superhot model because it looked good (and my management said to) and the PR has been continuously after me and our 'hidden' life ever since. It worked though because it is keeping fans swirling around me in great interest and pushed away most of the 'rumors' and 'gossip' that Hyde just might be gay.

I couldn't even begin to think of myself as gay now. The last time I had anything even remotely close to a homosexual tryst was the REAL tour two years ago when I fondled Tetsu on stage once or twice. Yeah. Exciting stuff, isn't it?

I've settled into the fact that I will go on as one of those closeted men that's married to a hot babe (at least until my agents say that's no longer working for me and we divorce) or until the day I die and the word gets out at which point I won't care anyway.

So to have something thrust at me (and I use the term _mildly_, for now at least) as talented, famous and gorgeous as Gackt is, wanting to work with me,_ closely_, and inviting me to his dark home, making quips about touching his tight ass and now showing off his impeccable abs… I think it's safe to say something was indeed stirring down below.

My upper half however, namely my brain, was trying to ward off any weird feelings and stirrings on I was having being so near to Gackt and in such a situation as I was currently finding myself in. As I already mentioned, it had been a while since I've had any action (see what marriage does, even to a rockstar?), let alone any from the opposite sex. I wasn't even sure if the 'signs' I was getting were real or that was just the way Gackt was. He had no sense of personal space, that much was already clear, and I suppose he really is eccentric enough to have a pitch black house with roses everywhere… It just seemed a little suspicious.

I stood up from the couch, stretching my arms up and not nearly reaching the height that Gackt obtained but it sufficed to crack my back at least. Gackt motioned for me to follow him out of the room and he led me towards his bathroom where he lingered strangely at the door before smiling and leaving me to my peace.

Of course it wasn't surprising that this room was just as dark with a black toilet as well. It will be a wonder if I make the target. As I stood there I counted the mirrored tiles on the ceiling and realized I wouldn't get through all of them this time.

I miraculously found my way back to the living room where Gackt was having another glass of brandy and standing at the big glass wall in the back. I noticed he had filled my empty fluke as well so I picked it up and joined his side.

"Hyde, do you want me to show you what's behind the glass wall?" Gackt's speech slurred only a little but it could have been because he was holding his glass closely to his lips when he said it, a dark shroud over his bright blue eyes as he said so and leered to look at me.

I swallowed my brandy. "I think I deserve a complete tour of your house, Gackt." I responded. Gackt's eyes lit up as it I had just said the most entrancing thing ever.

"Oh, forgive me, Hyde," Gackt started, turning to face me. "How rude of me to not suggest it earlier! Of course you do. Come with me," he said, taking my glass and setting it on the table with his own. "I've been a terrible host," he continued.

"No, no you haven't," I quickly said, not intending for him to take my last statement incorrectly. "You welcomed me in, saved me from falling flat on my face, offered me brandy, showed me to the restroom… I'm sorry I didn't mean to impose I just wanted to… you know, see the place." _See_ the place? Well that wasn't gonna happen unless we turned some lights on but I was beginning to think Gackt never even had such things installed.

"Of course, you're more than welcome. I can give you a grand tour, come…" he closed the distance between us, leading the way out of the living room as I followed. Gackt paused sharply at the doorway, nearly causing me to crash into him. "I'll try not to rush too far ahead of you this time, but if you get lost just reach out for my ass again," he said with a mischievous grin.

I visibly blushed and gave him a scowl. "I wasn't _trying_ to reach for your--"

"Come, this way. I can show you the latest installment to my home," Gackt interrupted me and opened a door that led downstairs. To what, a dungeon? It almost seemed possible with the way the rest of his house was looking so far. After descending several stairs I noticed that despite being beneath the ground now, there was actually more visibility. Gackt had a billiard table in one room, a bar in the back, and to the left was … a shooting gallery?

"I thought this would be an interesting addition to my abode, what do you think Hyde? Would you like to try it out? I haven't had the opportunity yet and. Well honestly I'd rather play along with someone. Anyway it would be fantastic practice for our yakuza-styled scenes in the movie, don't you think?"

I had toned Gackt out a while ago once I noticed all the lavish (oh yes, they certainly were) posters hanging about the room. _Posters of Gackt himself_. Promotions for magazines, books or CD shoots…I'm not sure what they all stood for but they surrounded the area and I couldn't tear my eyes away from them.

I moved in closer to get a better look, my mouth hanging open like a hungry baby as I openly gaped, taking time to ogle each image for their own beauty. I'm not sure when exactly the change in me took place but somewhere along the way I went from thinking Gackt was just a stage whore sell-out to realizing just how beautiful a creature he really was. Sure he was overly conceited but if I looked as good as him I probably would be too. (and trust me, I already was somewhat conceited as was.)

It's as if I suddenly forgot that I was in Gackt's basement and I was once again a horny teenager, drooling over the latest magazine I was able to get my hands on. Yes, my hands – I reached up and started to trace the outline of a particular image. The line of Gackt's body was so graceful that I couldn't resist reaching up to touch it, as if I thought I might actually feel something. I was so lost in my own world that I barely noticed Gackt sidling up behind me, _closely_ behind me.

"Do you like it, Hyde?" I felt his warm breath over my ear but I was still in too much of a trance, feeling almost hypnotized as I continued to stare at the image. "That's from my most recent photoshoot."

As Gackt began to talk about himself I suddenly snapped back to reality and noticed that not only was he directly behind me, but his arm was now brushing against my own, and I had no idea what he was planning to do next. I didn't want to act hastily and I was fairly sure that trying to step back wouldn't be the smartest move. Instead I slowly slid to my right, pretending to look at the other posters with enthusiasm, albeit not nearly as much.

I was aware that my reaction a few minutes ago was a close-call and decided to change the topic, acting as though I were suddenly interested in seeing the shooting gallery up close. Gackt was still leaning against the wall near the tantalizing photo. He was wearing a satisfying smirk as he eyed me closely and I couldn't help but scratch my head in nervousness. I didn't want it to appear that way though so I casually leaned along the pool table. This, however, caused Gackt to raise an eyebrow and stare at me more deeply, doing that 'undress with the eyes' act, I was pretty sure.

"At least put this pool table to some use, ne?" I struck up conversation, intimidated by Gackt's watchful eyes. "Come on, challenge me,"

Now I was taking the upper hand. I leaned on the pool table, in a manner that caused my cleavage to pop out, that is… it would if I had any cleavage. Gackt was eyeing me even more lasciviously than before. I was only bringing this on myself now. Gackt stood up and made his way toward me and I tensed up a bit. He leaned in, slowly inching toward my face and I tried to stay brave, acting as calm as possible though I'm sure with how close Gackt's face was to mine he could see my lip trembling as much as I could feel it. His eyelids lowered and mine mimicked his. His lips began to form a pout and all my attention was drawn to them… Egoiste filled my head again.

"There's still so much of the house to see yet, Hyde." Gackt softly said and then smiled and pulled away, leaving me with my eyes closed and my lips pouted as if… oh God, was I really expecting him to kiss me? As the smell of Egoiste drifted away I quickly became aware and cleared my throat, following Gackt up the stairs out of his dungeon. As I walked up I couldn't help my eyes from trailing to the tight ass my hands were on only hours earlier. It also appeared that through those tight snakeskin pants that he was wearing a… thong? I had read such things but was it really true? Part of me was starting to become determined to find out while the rest of my brain resisted heavily.

Gackt led me around other parts of his house; the kitchen, the sunglasses room (yes, Gackt has such a thing), the music studio, the grand room where he housed _one_ of his pianos, the yard out back, which we only briefly looked at, and so on. There were probably two of each of the rooms a normal house would contain and each was overtly decorated and adorned.

The part of me that suddenly had The Thong Song in my head was also curious to see what the bedroom would look like. If the rest of his home was this lavish, the bedroom was probably what wet dreams are made of. I was actually starting to gain the courage to ask about it (bold, I know) when Gackt suddenly turned to face me, shocking the question out of my head with how wide his eyes looked.

"There is one place I haven't showed you yet, Hyde," Gackt said, his hands finding the sides of my arms and gripping tightly. Wow, he was bringing up the bedroom question all on his own and he seemed way too excited about it… He grabbed my hand and began to lead me along.

Wait, wait, wait… Suddenly my script reading with Gackt was turning into a seedy dorama right before my eyes.

"Gackt!" I quickly said, interrupting him as he led me around like a horny teenager. "Maybe we should get back to the script, I mean, there's still a lot to go and it's already starting to get dark outside,"

Gackt smiled softly at me. "You're right, Hyde. But we're practically there already. Are you sure you don't want to see…" Gackt extended an arm and I noticed we were standing outside the same living room we started in. He was pointing right at the glass wall. My eyes probably lit up because Gackt's smile widened as he looked at me. He walked back towards the glass wall and made a door magically appear. I was all ready to step in but a small waft of steam came out from the room so I waited until Gackt's form stepped through it and cleared a way for me. As I walked in and the smoke subsided I noted that in the center of the room was… a giant heartshaped bathtub.

Gackt was leaning down, trailing a hand in the water which was apparently hot and ready to be used by the way the steam filled the room. Oh of course. It figures someone as extravagant as Gackt would be the person to have a giant heartshaped bathtub, just as the type you'd expect to see in the seediest of love hotels. I tried to hold back my laughter but it was near impossible. Just as I was about to let out a chuckle I noted the way Gackt was lying aside his giant heartshaped bathtub, lifting droplets of water and staring at me. I swallowed the laughter and cleared my throat.

"I think the steam is getting to me," I casually said and stepped out. I wiped my brow as I left the room, beginning to wonder if it was just from the warm room or the way I just caught Gackt looking at me. I made my way back to the couch, drowning the rest of my brandy in one fast slosh. I was pouring more and raising it to my mouth when I sensed Gackt behind me.

"Hyde," he started, again standing very close. "Are you hungry? I was thinking of ordering something to eat for us as we prepare to continue."

"Ordering?" I questioned. _Gackt orders out?_ I quickly eyed his skinny, fit body. There's no way…

"Yes, my chefs are on stand-by to cook us up something fabulous. How does unagi onigiri with miso sound?"

Chefs._ Of course he has chefs. _

"Oh," I started. "Well sure that sounds delicious!" I said, taking a sip of my fourth (at least I think it was the fourth…well maybe it was my _second_ foruth) brandy.

"Fantastic. Let me give them a ring to get it started." As Gackt went to the phone on the side of his room and hit the call button to order our supper, I realized, with a glance at the stack of script paper still lying at my spot on the couch that I was probably going to be here for a while yet. I went to my cell phone, thinking I should probably call home. But before I could Gackt was snatching the cell phone from my hand. "Who are you calling?" he asked, engaging with my phone as though it belonged to him.

"N-no one, I just was… checking the time," I lied. Gackt was busy finding something on my phone so I peeked over to see just what he was doing. He leered at me and showed me the screen with his contact name open. He had made some additions to it, including hearts around his name, a speed-dial contact and was all ready to add his photo as well. I smirked and stole it back from him.

"Why don't we head to the dining room now, yes?" I nodded and followed him out.

After dinner (which was incredibly delicious. So much that I accidentally let out a few gratifying sounds which Gackt seemed all too amused to be hearing) we went back to the living room, poured some more brandy, and began work on the script once more.

Eventually we finished that first bottle of brandy and Gackt graciously pulled out another. The script got more lively (_ok, the writing and dialogue itself was still just as bland as when I started reading, but the alcohol enhanced everything we were doing and saying_) and we lost track of time.

At one point Gackt moved to a couch in the side of the room and with the push of a button, it extended out to a full length bed, which he reclined on with the laptop on his stomach as he read along the script. I had used that opportunity to stretch out over the other leather couch. The brandy was warm in my throat and I had long ago lost count on what glass I was on. All I knew is that our voices were more slurred and we were attacking the script at a slower pace. It was nearing the end of the movie now, or at least the scene we had just finished reading certainly indicated that.

Gackt continued to read, narrate, and describe in detail the scenes as we came upon them. But his voice seemed to be quieter or my ears were giving out or the brandy was just taking over too much. Likely the latter of the three.

"Hyde, that's your line," I suddenly heard Gackt say.

"Huh? Oh…" I glanced down at my script and realized that I couldn't see it anymore. I flicked the Zippo lighter; the casing was hot but the lighter was empty. "aa I can't see my script,"

Gackt turned his laptop so the light was reflecting on his face. "We're nearly finished now. You could read the rest of it from my screen."

I tossed the last remaining papers off my lap and made my way to the couch-turned-bed, seating myself close enough to Gackt that I could read my line from his laptop. Gackt again continued into detailed scenery and I realized just how tired I was. So it only seemed fitting that my next line was,

"Nandaka tsukareta na, sukoshi meru yo." (_I'm so tired, let me rest a little_) and as soon as I said so, my eyes fell shut and my head tilted back to rest along a soft pillow.

It worked out, since that was my last line in the film. Gackt mentioned how there would be a song at this point, something poignant that would have meaning throughout the entire film. As he continued to drone on and read out the rest of the film, I drifted into a heavier sleep.

--

_**M**_y eyes opened slowly and my blurry vision soon cleared. I had a slight headache and I groaned, rubbing my head. But nothing could prepare me for what happened next.

Because when I stretched my neck, rolling my head to each side, I was presented with the gorgeous face of Gackt, only a mere few inches away from mine.

Somehow I managed not to scream aloud but as I gasped, I inhaled too deeply and almost started to cough uncontrollably. I had my hands over my mouth, trying my best to conceal the noise. I sat up slowly and instantly the first thing my mind told me was to check my status.

All my clothing was still on. _Thank god_.

However, there was something else of matter that needed to be taken care of. The usual morning… _problem_. I kept telling myself it had nothing to do with waking up in a bed with the most gorgeous Japanese artist ever and I was able to reassure myself that watching the Nature channel at this time in the morning was enough to give me the same problem. _Although that thought wasn't very reassuring either_. The curse of being male. Anyway I knew I needed to leave and take care of it privately but first, my scattered mind was trying to piece together how I got here to begin with.

I glanced around the room and the surroundings started to feel familiar again when my eyes locked on the coffee table. Two empty bottles of brandy and that damned script. _Oh yeah,_ I recalled, _that's how_.

I wasn't exactly calm but Kami-sama only knows how things would go once Gackt woke up. All I knew at this point was that I had to get out of this bed. So I slowly sat up, praying to the gods that it won't disturb Gackt and swung my legs over the side. Just as I was exhaling the breath I didn't know I was holding, I felt a pinch in my left side and blurted out, a little too loudly, "Itai!"

_Oh shit_. I clamped my mouth shut. All that careful work and quietness and I just ruined it because of a pinch of pain. Hopefully Gackt was still asleep but I couldn't run on hope – I had to know. So I slowly turned around to face him only to find him looking back at me.

I blanched. He had the most satisfying smirk ever, enough to make me worry, despite the fact I was fully clothed. His one arm was propping up his head and his other was outreached and… _oh_. _That's_ what that pinch was.

"Ohayo, Hyde. Genki?" He asked.

_Genki? Genki ja nai!_ I wanted to shout back. But instead I gave him a small smile.

"I hope you slept well" he continued. "Are you hungry? My cooks are probably already putting together our breakfast." _Our_ breakfast?

As he sat up my eyes instantly trailed down his wonderful pecs and perfect abs and watched the sheet slide slowly down, past his belly button and just a little bit more before stopping. _Damn_. This was not helping the morning wood.

"I usually workout first thing in the morning but since you're here, I'll skip that for the time being and I'm going to go take my shower," he mentioned, and while I heard what he said (and I believe I may have nodded in response), I couldn't help but stare at his perfectly toned body. Gackt is the real deal. I could hardly believe it myself and yet here I was, eyeing it up for all it was worth and not only that, but I was sharing a bed with his perfect body. Countless people would kill to be in my position.

Of course at the moment I would have killed to get out of it… because I couldn't stop my tongue from jutting out of my mouth just the slightest bit to wet my lips as I stared, waiting for him to get up and go to that shower. _What was he wearing under there? Boxers, a thong… nothing at all? _I blushed at the thought and then I looked up to Gackt's face and he was smiling devilishly at me, almost as if I just said everything aloud. _Good god, I didn't say it aloud did I?!_

"I… I'm going to go use your restroom," I said and quickly excused myself, thankful that I had to travel in the other direction and could successfully hide my growing pain. Surprisingly I was able to locate the bathroom quickly.

_Oh, there are 68 tiles on that bathroom ceiling, for those who were wondering._

As I came back to the living room_-turned-sex-den_, I was greeted by Gackt exiting his bathtub room at precisely the exact same time – damp hair, toned chest glistening with water beads and bottom half only barely covered with a towel.

I crossed my hands over the front of my pants, trying to conceal myself and act as normal as possible. _Dammit I thought I just took care of this!_

"Oh Hyde, I am sorry," Gackt began apologizing, running his hand through wet strands of hair.

"Sorry?" What did he mean by that? _Sorry that he is getting me involved in this sucky movie? Sorry that he got me drunk and I slept in his bed? Sorry that he was causing me the most painful erection I've had in years?_

"Yes, I had meant to invite you to shower-"

"Aaa!" I said and quickly sat down on the couch behind me, grabbing the heavy script and pulling it onto my lap. It wasn't helping the pain but hopefully it would shield rather than attract Gackt's eyes.

"You're welcome to take one if you'd like, there are fresh towels and everything."

I bowed to him as he disappeared and seriously considered it. A **cold **shower would be good right about now. I try to think things that are boring or disgust me; such as soccer, pollution, Megumi's home cooking…

As I was making a list in my head of all the most annoying things I could think of, Gackt appeared in front of me once more in his skintight leather pants and an unbuttoned animal print shirt.

"Well if you won't take a shower then at least let me get you a fresh shirt,"

"Oh no, it's ok. You probably won't have anything to fit me," I started to protest, but Gackt didn't appear to be listening. I hated to point out the fact that I was so small. I hated having someone like Gackt feeling as though he had to wait on me. I hated—

I _really_ hated the shirt Gackt was holding in front of me. It was a mesh of darker fire-toned colors, wilder than anything I've worn and yet it was really small and I couldn't imagine it ever fitting Gackt's tall, long frame.

"I never even had a chance to wear it. Bought it a while back and as soon as I took it to be washed, the dry cleaner shrunk it,"

"Why would you have held onto it for so long?" I asked, my hands over the heavy script that feeled as though it were constricting the blood from flowing through the veins in my thighs.

Gackt smirked again. "I thought it would fit you perfectly,"

I blinked. So Gackt was telling me he held onto this shirt for years just for the sake of giving it to me someday? … Yet again he was feeling like my worst stalker.

"Here, let me help you put it on," he said, taking the script from my lap before I even had a chance to react. I started to cross my legs hoping to hide any evidence but Gackt was grabbing me by the arms and quickly stood me up. He was looking at my face, which I was grateful for, but then I noticed something change in his eyes, even behind the bright blue contacts he always wore.

He swung the extra shirt over his shoulder and reached for the top button of my shirt but I swatted at his hands to push away and he swiped right back at me. It was like a mother trying to dress their child. We repeated the action again as Gackt tried to undo my top button. He sighed and looked into my eyes and as I got caught up trying to glance behind his contacts again, I noticed that he had already done the top two buttons.

It was the strangest thing to be standing there as Gackt slowly undid my shirt. I've always been independent. I don't even remember my mother dressing me and here I was, a grown man having another grown man make me feel helpless.

As he neared the end of my shirt I started to blush, realizing that soon there would be no way to hide the bulge in my pants, which was once again growing. My shirt tails would no longer help me cover it.

I looked up at Gackt and he was staring into my eyes, smiling at me as he unhooked the buttons with ease. He was nearing the final two and looked down, slowly taking them apart. It was then that I noticed Gackt was truly enjoying this, as my own eyes looked down and I caught site of his own excitement through his leather pants.

I don't think it ever took _me_ that long to undo six buttons.

I looked back up at Gackt's face and became aware that he was openly eyeing my body through the shirt, as if it were some hidden treasure. I stood nervously, unsure what to do and unable to speak. Suddenly his arms were on my shoulders and he was turning me away from him. Now my back was to him and all I could think were horrors of how my life was suddenly turning into a yaoi manga.

I sighed slightly, feeling a little better that at least the blaringly obvious fact I was enjoying this was now hidden from his view. Slowly I felt my shoulders grow cold as Gackt began to slide my shirt off and down my back, but it suddenly paused, the sleeves hanging around my elbows. And then I felt the slightest awareness of fingers along my back. Gackt began to gingerly trace the lines of my wings tattoo and I could feel the goosebumps appearing along my body at his touch.

Despite the cool sensation I was getting from Gackt's fingers, I was suddenly feeling warm inside and a warm breath over my left ear. "These are so beautiful," Gackt whispered. All my senses were enveloping together and I had to hold back a moan.

"When I first noticed these at your concert, I couldn't help but think how perfect an addition they were to your body, _Hyde_,"

When he cooed my name, my whole body tingled under his touch.

"How long did it take you to get these done?" he said. The warmth left my neck but his fingers continued to slowly line along my back, as if he were the one drawing them there.

"Um," I started, trying to steady my voice. "I think it was about 4 hours," I answered, exhaling slowly to even my breathing. But just as it was starting to work I heard Gackt make the slightest moan and my heart started to race. I felt his breath along my ears and neck again and a full warmth behind me. Gackt was closing in…

If you didn't think things were getting sexual between us before now, this would be the point to believe that it has._ Most surely, it has. _

"Mmm so you spent _four hours_, on _your stomach_, under a _pulsating_ needle," Gackt whispered.

My eyes fell shut as Gackt moved in directly behind me. It felt as though we couldn't possibly be standing any nearer to each other and even as that thought filled my head, I felt myself leaning back into his touch and body behind mine. It was entirely evident to me now just how aroused he was…

"I admire your endurance, _Hyde_," he drew out my name and again I was biting back a moan.

Then, just as things were starting to feel really good and I was near ready to take that leap, turn around, and jump his bones…

"I'm going to go check on our breakfast," Gackt said and tossed the shirt on my head. I turned around and he was gone.

He's amazing at seduction and foreplay (_wow, has it really been that long for me that I'm calling _**this**_ foreplay? sad._) but when it comes to sealing the deal, he sucks.

_And not in the way I could really use right now._

Now I was thinking about boring sports games, whale poaching and that time Megumi tried to make tofu smoothies, as I discarded my blouse to the ground and put on Gackt's surprisingly-well-fitting shirt.

--

_**I** _soon joined Gackt in the kitchen and we enjoyed a lavish breakfast, one of which I'm not used to eating. I stuffed my face, uncaring what Gackt may think of my eating habits. He ate daintily, looking up to watch me every once in a while.

After I felt fully satiated, I leaned back and thanked him for everything. "This has been… too much. I mean really, it's been an interesting time staying here with you. And this breakfast was wonderful, Gackt," I stood up and grabbed my jacket which had been hanging on the chair behind me.

Gackt's eyebrows rose as he watched me. "All this and I'm back to being just Gackt again?" he said with a mock frown.

I didn't understand what he was getting on about. "Wh—what do you mean?" I said sliding on my jacket with a lil smile.

"Last night you called me… wait what was it – Oh yes; _Gacchan_."

_Gacchan_? I called him a sickenly sweet petname like _that_? What –_ when_? I don't remember doing that. Good lord, what else did I do that I didn't remember? I think Gackt could tell by my face that I had no recollection of the nickname.

Gackt stood up and walked over to me as I made sure my pockets had all the contents I had entered with yesterday afternoon, _minus two dead lighters_.

"You don't remember doing that, do you Hyde?" he asked, fixing the collar of my jacket and making me feel uncomfortable like a kid again.

"I have to say I don't. I think the brandy went straight to my head," I said with a small laugh as I moved my own hands in the way of Gackt's and adjusted the collar to my own liking. Gackt put his hands on his hips.

"You said that last night, too," Gackt smiled. My own smile left my face as it was becoming evident that more happened than I now recalled. I swallowed. "And then you waxed on about—yes, it was Sakurazawa. For a long while."

I paled. Oh Kami-sama please tell me I didn't… don't tell me I told him all my deepest, darkest secrets about the things I did with Sakura! It would make sense if I had though, with the way Gackt was acting around me this morning.

"I do hope you'll tell me more sometime, Hyde," Gackt's hand was on my shoulder as he walked me toward the door. "I enjoyed how freely you were speaking with me and… well I must admit that the brandy was swirling in my brain too so I don't remember all too clearly myself!"

I sighed loudly, hoping that most of the juicy bits were the parts he forgot.

"Thanks again for the shirt," I said, tugging at the tightness of it. "I'll wash it when I get home and return it to you."

Gackt started waving his hand. "Nonsense, Hyde. Keep it. It looks fabulous on you,"

Truth is, I was going to toss it in the trash the second I got home.

"Well, thanks again." I said and stepped through the doorway with a wave.

"Oh Hyde, wait!" Gackt yelled after me, holding up a finger for me to stay where I was. I sighed and looked over to my car, safely sitting in the driveway where I left it yesterday. I reached in my back pocket and pulled out my cigarettes before realizing I had no lighters to light one up. I cursed and put the pack back in my coat pocket, just as Gackt was joining me outside, his own cigarette lit and dangling from his mouth.

How I was longing for a taste of sweet nicotine. Gackt hadn't smoked once in his own home and I didn't want to disrespect him by lighting up. Besides all that, I had so many distractions that I nearly forgot about my smokes. But now the craving was stronger than ever and yet again I found myself in a position where Gackt was teasing me.

"Here is the script, with the revisions we spoke about last night. I printed off a full copy for you to take home and look over," He had the giant stack in his hands and was offering it to me but I was too caught up staring at the flaming tip of his tobacco stick.

"Hyde?" Gackt asked, bobbing his head to the side to get my attention.

"Oh, god I'm sorry. It's just, I'm dying for a smoke and all my lighters are empty." _Thanks to your goddamn script reading in the black hole last night._ "Do you think you could get me a light?" I pulled out my pack of cigarettes and started to slide a stick out when Gackt was pulling his own cigarette from his mouth and putting it in mine.

The shock of the act didn't hit me until later because the sweet taste of tobacco filling my mouth was almost orgasmic. I took a long drag and puffed the smoke out in circles, much to Gackt's amusement. I inhaled and gave another short puff before handing it back to him with thanks and he dropped the 10 pound script in my arms.

I crawled into my car and tossed the huge script in the seat next to me. Gackt was waving from his doorway so I honked and pulled away, blasting my music and being thankful it was a MUCC song I could rock out to.

As I trailed along the road, my hand went to my lips, fingers recalling moments earlier when Gackt shared his cigarette with me. It was evident then that what was happening between us was becoming serious, and quickly. I would be stupid to continue on with this movie because it would only have us ending up in compromising situations from here on out. Already I had started calling Gackt by a ridiculous pet name, spilled way too much personal information, and slept in his bed. Not only that, but the whole act of him undressing me is something that won't leave my mind anytime soon.

I swerved off the road and decided I should pull over. I started reaching for my cigarettes, cursing when I again remembered that I had nothing to light it with. Lying my head on the steering wheel didn't alleviate me however, when the song on my radio started playing none other than... _Gackt_.

All I could do was picture Gackt – his perfect face, plump lips, those piercing eyes embraced in blue… And his body, that amazing body of his. Not only was he the most beautiful man in Japan, but it appeared that he was attracted to none other than little ol' me. That was something my mind couldn't wrap around. I couldn't understand why he would have any interest in what I presented, let alone wanting me to act in his movie. I had never acted before but Gackt spoke as though he had been thinking of me for his movie for quite a long time. I couldn't help but wonder that he had a deeper intent in all of this.

No, I couldn't do the movie. I pulled back onto the road and decided that as soon as I made it home I was going to call and tell him that I made my decision.

* * *

**AN:** _The things happening in this story were put together using real life events, taken from the Gackt **FURACHI** Radio shows where he invited Hyde and their **All Night Nippon** radio show from Taiwan. Gackt's old house used to have a glass wall in it which contained a heart-shaped bathtub behind it. It was incessantly dark and there were roses everywhere when Hyde first went to it for the script reading. They often get drunk on brandy together (they were when they recorded__ Orenji no Taiyou) and Hyde had to read through his script with his lighters. All of this is fact, presented by Gackt and Hyde themselves on various radio shows and television interviews from late 2002 and early 2003. Look it up, you'll enjoy it! _

_I just drew on that to write out this story, thinking what could have possibly happened._

_The next part is Gackt's POV of this same event. If you wish, you can skip ahead to the following chapter._


	2. Chapter 1b ' Gackt's POV

**Chapter 1**(b) of …?

-_Gackt's POV_

_This is the same story from Chapter 1, just this time from Gackt's POV so you can see the other side. **This chapter does not have to be read - you can skip it and go right to the next part to continue the story**.  
_

* * *

_**A**__ny moment he will be here_, I thought, musing around my house in an almost apprehensive pacing manner. Already my mind was racing with thoughts of what Hyde would be wearing, what he will think of my lavish house, how comfortable we will be going over the script together… 

So far we have only met once in person. We shared a lavish dinner after I had sent him 2 or 3 phone calls begging him to at least meet me to discuss the movie prospects. It was no secret I had been admiring Hyde's presence for quite some time now and although I'd heard how often he turned down movie offers in the past, I was confident that somehow I would be able to convince him. When he decided to try solo work I knew that there was no better opportunity and I jumped at the chance.

He said he would have to consider it, but he added that he would do so 'seriously'. The way he looked at me when he said that made me feel that he was being honest. I told him that this movie idea wasn't just some idea in my head and that I had full intentions of going through with it. I had enough power behind me to make it happen and with Hyde on my team, I knew it would definitely get the green light. I didn't make that point known to him but spoke as though I already had the connections eagerly awaiting my moves. Perhaps I shouldn't have spoke so confidently about it but I was determined to make this movie happen one way or another. And it would not be complete unless I had Hyde.

I hadn't heard from him since the dinner and although it had only been four days, I couldn't wait any longer. Hyde was the only thought on my mind ever since we met. We wined and dined and I would have loved to stay and chat longer because just being in his presence I could already feel a connection. Already I was beginning to feel that thought my mind had been telling me (that destiny was bringing us together) was coming true but I didn't want to frighten him off so soon by telling it to him. So I invited him over for a script read. I had given him the most detailed description of the movie plot I could possibly entertain him with at dinner but Hyde seemed confused and I knew that reading over it with his own eyes would clarify what the story was all about.

As my mind was losing itself to the plot of [MOON, I heard a noise from my driveway and peered up at the security screen to see a small but expensive black car pull up. I grinned in excitement but tried to remain calm and collected. But as I watched his small figure step out and adjust his jacket, I noticed he looked nervous also. I realized that I had to do my best to make him feel welcome and hopefully that would calm my nerves as well.

I opened the door just in time and he seemed stunned as if it opened on its own. When I stepped out from behind it, I noticed he was looking a little frazzled. I wondered if I had too much cologne on, as You had told me in the past that the amount of _Chanel Platinum Egoist_ I wear often gets to his head. Not only that but apparently my entire abode smells of it as well. Though I hardly believe that the waft of it from my simple act of opening the door was what was giving Hyde that spaced out look.

"Hyde…" I began, ready to welcome him to my home and ask him if he had any trouble finding the place, but I noticed that his eyes were busy taking in my attire. His eyes widened slightly as he looked down at my pants._ Clearly the term _non-chalent_ isn't existent in Hyde's vocabulary_. Though I couldn't help the smirk that filled my face as he gawked. He slowly looked back up at me and then the faintest blush covered his cheeks.

I would be lying if I didn't state that I found it to be one of the most adorable things ever.

I suppose part of my attraction to wanting to work with Hyde wasn't just his amazing ability to make music, entrance with his deep and beautifully toned voice, or the amazing presence he commanded on stage – although all of those were big reasons. But it was also his incredibly tiny figure. There was nothing unique about being short in our country, as Asians aren't known for being the tallest figures around, but Hyde was just all around small, skinny and short and that trait on him was found to be quite charming to his fans and surprisingly to most of his peers as well. So it's no surprise that anytime Hyde would do something that most people find endearing on others, it's deemed to be 'cute' or 'adorable' on his tiny frame.

"I… wasn't sure this was the right place…" he started, eager to hide his blush and engage in conversation. I smiled at him, apologized, and gave a slight bow, showing the utmost manners and hoping it would ease his tension. Extending my arm to let him inside, he was already complaining about the dark.

Natural light is beautiful but to reenact it inside one's place of residence with false electronics is quite a turn-off to me. There is something about the dark that is mysterious and beautiful and it always felt fitting to match my own personality. Candles and soft lights are the only admittance I usually allow.

"I prefer the dark," I told him and began to walk through my house, inviting Hyde to follow me. My eyes are naturally adjusted to the space around me but I hadn't taken into consideration that Hyde might be having difficulty. But I continued to tell him just why I find it to be so intriguing, carefully listening and checking behind me to make sure he was following when I heard a rustle behind me that didn't sound too good. Thankfully Hyde's hair was bleached just as mine and it reflected off the candles surrounding us that I was able to see him dropping at a fast pace. I quickly reached out to catch his fall and prevent him from hurting anything.

"Careful Hyde," I whispered, not wanting to make him think I was scolding him or any such. I pulled him up slowly, trying to gauge when his feet were flat on the floor. He gave me another dazed look but seemed alright so I continued on my way.

"Gackt, where are you leading me? I can't see a damned thing…" I heard him from behind me. I was about to answer when I felt his hands reach out and land right on my ass. I was shocked but noticed the moment between us froze, and I realized we were probably both feeling quite awkward right now.

Well it was awkward, but I'll be honest - it also felt kind of good.

I had to make light of the situation before both of us ended up with embarrassing vibes between us, or we'd never get through the lengthy script anytime soon.

"Hyde I don't mind leading you by the hand but this ass-grabbing is just not acceptable for our second date," I added a small laugh to show him that things were still cool between us.

It was a little surprising that it wasn't until after the awkward moment and my comment that he removed his hands and shuffled around.

"Sorry Gackt," he apologized, in a quiet voice. Oh no - the poor guy was already feeling lost and unwelcome in my home and I didn't want things to go this way. Did he not hear my joke? I decided to try another.

"Nothing to be sorry for Hyde. I just prefer to hold that until the third date," I grabbed his small shoulder to let him know I was standing before him and it was then that I noticed how very red his face was. I hadn't wanted him to feel any less comfortable but I couldn't help but laugh at his face, as though he thought I was being serious. "Oh Hyde! You should see your face right now!"

Thankfully he no longer looked embarrassed but rather glared playfully up at me. Whew – hopefully the awkward situation was over now. Although my mind was recording Hyde's every reaction…

I took his arm and led him back towards the living space where the script was awaiting us. It was, without a doubt, my favorite room in the house (only second to my master bedroom) and I always kept it clean and decorated with fresh roses. I find the smell of roses to be intoxicating and relaxing and they set one's mind at peace. I knew that there's nowhere we could feel more comfortable around each other than in my favorite room which I had just adorned with fresh-cut roses and petals strewn along the floor. Not only did I want the room to look especially inviting, but I wanted Hyde to feel relaxed and realize that I was indeed welcoming him graciously into my home.

And I could tell that Hyde was feeling more at ease already as he gazed around the room and complimented me. And when followed me in taking off his shoes and then removed his jacket, I knew that finally he was feeling content. Mission accomplished.

"Might I offer you a drink, Hyde?" I looked at him with the sincerest expression I could conjure, letting him know that I was ready to provide whatever he needed to keep him feeling welcome in my place.

"Sure," he said a little nervously as he sat down on the leather couch. I smiled and left to the wine closet, taking my cue to bring out a bottle of brandy that I had been saving for a special occasion. How long it was that I had wanted to collaborate with Hyde and his amazing abilities! And now my dream was possibly coming to life so I felt that it was appropriate to open the bottle for this occasion.

As I entered the living space again, I noticed that Hyde had felt comfortable enough to wander around the room and was staring at the glass wall that led back to my bathtub.

"You're curious what's back there?" I asked and it caused him to jump.

"Well I've never seen a house with a glass wall in it before," Hyde was already eyeing the bottle and seemed impressed.

"I'm sure I'll be showing it to you later," I commented, fully intending on giving Hyde the full tour after we finished our script reading. I poured the glasses and sat down on the couch and shortly after Hyde joined me, setting himself on the far other end. I looked up to hand him a glass, wondering why he sat so far away, so I offered a small smile. Hyde looked at me strangely for a moment and I wondered if his eyes were still trying to adjust to the light in the room, although this was the brightest place in my home.

Rather than risk having him spill his drink, I decided to use offering him the brandy as an excuse to sit closer to him so we could clink our glasses and begin talking serious movie business. I took a sip and then slid over to Hyde's side, offering him the glass. He thanked me and took a small sip but already I had finished off my first glass. It was definitely well worth the wait and I felt my tension relax so I was ready to talk business.

"Now Hyde," I started, putting my glass on the coffee table to focus. "The script is still in working order. It has all my original ideas and dialogues but these things often change." I continued to discuss options and and even brought up how important I thought it was that the chemistry between Sho and Kei was projected onto the screen. I was hoping that would make Hyde realize that I felt comfortable around him, without outright saying it.

Hyde was clinging to the glass once he finished it off but suddenly looked at me strangely and asked, "Wait, which ones are Sho and Kei again?"

I smiled back at him. "That's you and I, Hyde. I'm Sho and you are the vampire Kei."

His face paled momentarily. I was all ready to apologize, hoping that I didn't make him feel obligated to know our character names so soon. But just as I opened my mouth he exclaimed that he was ready to get started. I was so excited that he was feeling ambitious to start so I reached out for my laptop with the printed out script sitting atop of it. As I set up my laptop I asked if Hyde would like another brandy and handed him the script.

"What's this?" he asked, staring at the papers on his lap as I filled his glass.

"That's your script," I said, pouring myself a glass as well as I opened my laptop and the light from the script document filled my face. I took a small sip and prepared to read the lavish opening of the movie. "Why don't you read your lines aloud, Hyde? I'll play the other characters so we can interact."

I continued on and thought I heard Hyde mumbling something when I noticed he had his lighter out. At first I thought he was going to light up a smoke. I wouldn't have minded and only didn't light one of my own up because I honestly had been trying to quit. But instead he was glancing at his script. It was going well as we read through it and Hyde seemed to be giving me great enthusiasm as he read his parts. But then…

"Wait, wait Gackt…" He flipped his lighter shut and looked over at me. He began to go off into a long speech about what he thought his vampire abilities would entail and why he should have a stronger force in this scene. I was absolutely intrigued that he was already anxious about taking such a large part in the movie! "So you see what I'm saying?"

I was amazed that he showed so much insight and answered him back in kind, providing my reasoning for why Sho and Kei acted the way they did. He sipped his brandy as I spoke, occasionally raising an eyebrow. I figured he was deep in thought.

"You know what?" he interrupted. "You're totally right. I get it now. I can see what you're saying. Why don't we continue?"

I smiled, so happy that we could understand each other. I continued to read through a good chunk of the script when suddenly I felt Hyde's arm on me. I paused and swallowed, looking over to him smiling lazily back at me.

"Do you mind if we take a break? I need to get up and stretch and… make use of your toilet."

Oh how rude of me! I never thought to show him where my restrooms were and by now we had gone through several glasses of brandy. I stood to stretch, the action feeling good as it allowed my muscles to breathe. I looked over to Hyde who appeared to be staring, but then copied my actions and twisted his body, letting his back crack once or twice. I then motioned him to follow me out and led him to the restroom, hoping he'd find the way back on his own.

I returned to the room, filling both our glasses once more and taking mine to the back glass, where I tried to peer through the steam and see my tub. All I could see however was my reflection looking back at me. My face was looking weary and I supposed it was all this reading in the dark, sitting on a comfortable couch and the glasses of brandy working through me. Clearly we were in need of a bit of a break. But as I stared at myself I became aware that I was beginning to have some strange feelings. It's already evident just how comfortable I was feeling being around Hyde and my thoughts of our destiny again entered my mind. The script reading seemed to be flowing along nicely and how wonderful it would be if this is the moment that solidifies Hyde agreeing to work in my film. I don't know if I could go on with MOON without him by my side.

_At my side_… how nice it would be to have Hyde near my side more often. I truly enjoyed his presence and yet something in my mind and body was saying that it wasn't only his friendship I wanted. I used to believe that Hyde, much like most of us in our early visual days, wasn't only taking part of the fanservice for the fans but that more of it was continuing behind the scenes backstage. He was awful friendly with Tetsu, Ken and most certainly with Sakura. When Sakura left the band, Hyde made a drastic change and lost a lot of his femininity on the stage, though those who knew him said it was still there. But his rock star image hardened. And only recently he married. Although a lot of us felt it to be fake, there was no real way of knowing. I had been in talks with Sakura once or twice due to a mutual friend of ours, but never made any sort of connection to Hyde through it, because I hadn't known where they stood. But at our last meeting, Sakura had nothing but fond things to say of Hyde and I started to realize that the rumors of their previous coupledom were probably truths.

So I wondered why Hyde married then. When word got out of his Christmas marriage, his old Utaban episode from 1998 when he was introduced to his future wife began to circle the groups and the internet. No one could believe that_ they_ ended up together and while it may have been a ploy on his agent's advice in order to ward off either fangirls or gay rumors, the buzz of Hyde's real life story became an even larger topic of speculation.

Hyde never spoke of his wife, not even while they were dating so it was hard to believe any of this was true. But when I called his house the first time to pitch the offer, she was the one who answered the phone and later Hyde spoke, albeit very briefly, about her at our dinner. So she did exist, it was just finding out what she was really there for.

Hyde's reactions to our little moments during the night seemed to be glaring lights at me. Granted, he seemed embarrassed every time something happened but I always took Hyde to be shy, despite the way he acted on stage. Many people don't know this but the real Hyde isn't the one they watch in concert or while performing. Hyde's true artist comes out when he is in his game but really he is just another person like you or me, who is genuinely shy and doesn't make friends easily. It's then that you realize what passion he has for what he does and that is one of his most attractive qualities.

_Attractive_. Indeed he was that, too. When Sakura began to spill about Hyde randomly in our last meeting, I had wanted to ask so many questions. Although I had only fooled around once or twice with the band of Malice Mizer, it's never anything I was proud of and anything else people might have thought of me was conjured from all the times I involved myself in fanservice. Catering to my fans is what keeps me at the top of my business and I'm not afraid to use those tactics to get where I want to be. It led me back to wondering if Hyde and Sakura ever had anything _real_.

If so, it wasn't anything they ever wanted out in the open, just as I was the same way. So I started to think that even if these were the very buds of something deeper beginning between Hyde and I, or that even if either one of us wanted to pursue the mere thought of it, it would probably never happen, given our quietness about our pasts.

His vision came into my view as he entered the room and I saw his reflection in the glass wall. The brandy was affecting my brain because I was suddenly wanting to ditch the rest of our script reading and spend quality time with Hyde, getting to know him better and wondering if even if we stayed friends, he'd be someone close to me who I could count on and trust with some deeply hidden secrets. Perhaps we had more in common than I thought….

"Hyde, do you want me to show you what's behind the glass wall?" I asked as Hyde stood next to me now with his brandy in his hand.

"I think I deserve a complete tour of your house, Gackt." He responded confidently. I looked over at him, surprised to hear such a bold response. He looked up at me and smirked.

"Oh, forgive me, Hyde! How rude of me to not suggest it earlier! Of course you do. I've been a terrible host!" I apologized, realizing how bent I was on this movie business when we first met. No wonder Hyde appeared uncomfortable now and then.

"No, no you haven't!" Hyde began to apologize back to me "You welcomed me in, saved me from falling flat on my face, offered me brandy, showed me to the restroom… I'm sorry I didn't mean to impose I just wanted to… you know, see the place."

I think I may have blushed a little at his response but I didn't want him to know. "Of course, you're more than welcome. I can give you a grand tour, come…I'll try not to rush too far ahead of you this time, but if you get lost just reach out for my ass again," I joked.

Again, Hyde blushed and scowled at me. "I wasn't _trying_ to reach for your--"

"Come, this way. I can show you the latest installment to my home," I interrupted, not wanting to drag out the moment again and have things get back to that awkward spot. I led him down some stairs and flicked on dim overhead lights "I thought this would be an interesting addition to my abode, what do you think Hyde? Would you like to try it out? I haven't had the opportunity yet. Well honestly I'd rather play along with someone. Anyway it would be fantastic practice for our yakuza-styled scenes in the movie, don't you think?"

I pride myself in being one of the innovators of having an interesting home. I have more money than I know what to do with and I figured that it makes more sense to spend it on something I enjoy than to let it sit somewhere in a bank. So I made several lavish additions to my home, but most are things that I need more friends to enjoy with…

I noticed that Hyde wasn't even really looking at the shooting gallery, but rather all the posters surrounding my room. For all the photoshoots I've done, the photographers always seem to feel inclined to give me a copy of their favorite shot. For a while I didn't know what to do with these and one day, while teasingly saying to GacktJOB that I could wallpaper a room with them, I decided that it might be worth trying out. I hid these in the basement area of my home where it was unlikely people other than me would see them… imagine the vanity people would think I have! I was already called narcissistic at times and admit to my own conceit, but this would definitely throw that over the edge if word got out. But I rather thought it was an interesting way to coat my unused (except for myself once in a while) pool room.

Hyde seemed to be particularly entranced with one specific photo. He reached out to touch it and his mouth gaped. I got caught up watching the way Hyde was eyeing my photo; it was arousing to watch and I felt almost like someone spying on something they weren't supposed to see. I couldn't control the urge I suddenly had to be near him and moved to stand behind him.

"Do you like it, Hyde?" I quietly asked as he continued to stare. "That's from my most recent photoshoot." Hyde's body seemed to shake suddenly and he slid to my right, continuing to eye more of the posters. I worried that I may have made him feel uncomfortable just now and silently cursed myself, closing my eyes. As I opened them back up I noticed that Hyde was now casually leaning on my pool table. He smirked at me and I started to think that maybe what just happened didn't turn him off, but rather turned him on.

"At least put this pool table to some use, ne? Come on, challenge me," Hyde cooed. As he leaned into the pool table, I suddenly felt like I was looking at an old _L'ArcenCiel_ magazine shoot, when Hyde had long hair and was wearing something flowy and posing the way a female would. I was drawn to the way he was looking at me and leaned in close, the moment feeling surreal. His eyelids lowered and for a moment I thought he was expecting me to kiss him. Right then I wanted to but it was much too early in our relationship to risk anything so drastic.

"There's still so much of the house to see yet, Hyde," I whispered and pulled away, quickly heading for the stairs. I heard him cough and follow behind me and I wiped my forehead as we climbed the stairs – that moment just now was real, was it not? There _is_ chemistry between us and it's starting to brew…

I led him through the rest of the house, briefly explaining what the rooms were and allowing him to look, but not lingering in any one of them for too long, the fear of what just enticed me moments ago popping up again. I was leading him to the part of the house where my bedroom is when it glaringly occurred to me just how important it was _not_ to show him the bedroom right now. Already I had a twitching cock and if we were to survive the rest of this script reading night, it was pertinent that I steered away from the ultimate temptation.

Instead I began to lead him back to the living space, where the script and the brandy remained and figured I should show him the tub hidden behind the glass. Surely he would get a kick out of this surprise. A few times during our walk he looked as though he wanted to say something to me but I continuously interrupted with random facts about my home.

"There is one place I haven't showed you yet, Hyde," I said, grabbing his hand and leading him back through the darkness of the room where he first tripped.

"Gackt! Maybe we should get back to the script, I mean, there's still a lot to go and it's already starting to get dark outside,"

I turned to face him. "You're right, Hyde. But we're practically there already. Are you sure you don't want to see…" I extended an arm and pointed right at the glass wall. Hyde's eyes lit up. Clearly he was curious. I opened the door and a waft of steam exited, enveloping Hyde. I lost him briefly as I made my way to the tub, reaching in to test how warm the water had stayed. I had recently installed a system to keep the water hot all the time so I could change it less often and therefore conserve the water. When I was finally able to see him again, he was clearing his throat and said the steam was getting to him and left. I wasn't sure if that was just his excuse to leave the room, or that something else was starting to get to him.

As I followed him out and shut the door I noticed that Hyde had just downed another full glass of brandy. I had lost count on how many we've been through by now…

"Hyde, are you hungry? I was thinking of ordering something to eat for us as we prepare to continue."

"Ordering?" he asked.

"Yes, my chefs are on stand-by to cook us up something fabulous. How does unagi onigiri with miso sound?" I had planned this perfect meal for quite some time so I hoped he would agree to it.

"Well sure that sounds delicious!" he said, taking a sip of another newly poured brandy. I went to the buzzer to order it in and as I turned around to glance back at Hyde, I noticed him nervously playing with his cell phone. I didn't want him to be leaving, not now when I felt that things between us were just really getting started. So I snuck up behind him and swiped it out of his hands, much to his surprise. Facing me was his lengthy address book and it wasn't far from the letter "G" so I spun around and began to wade my way through to find my name, to Hyde's chagrin. I was wondering if I'd be treated with a school-like action from Hyde, jumping up at me to get the phone out of my hands, which were far above his reach. Instead, Hyde kept his cool and gingerly peeked at what I was doing before smirking and stealing his cellphone from me. I told him to join me in the dining room, wondering if he'd leave on the little adornments and hearts I somewhat teasingly added to my contact info.

He followed closely behind me until we reached the dining room and took our seats across from each other. Dinner was delicious and Hyde seemed to be enjoying it as well. He let out a few satisfied noises, and I'm not sure if he noticed it until after he omitted the sound. It was quite pleasing to hear and it was always immediately after he made the enjoyable noise that he would look up at me and catch me smiling or smirking back at him. We laughed over it a couple times, and at the end of his meal he let out a long moan of satisfaction, one that sounded so pleasant to my ears I was suddenly feeling warm all over. It was unlike the noises he purposefully made in songs or at a live… this was a truly grateful sound that he was honestly pleased and enjoying himself. It saddened me that it came at the end of the meal and yet the reaction I was getting from below made me realize that it was probably a good thing our meal was over.

And yet the very thought of heading back into my favorite living space, satiated after a meal, back to the brandy and into the dark to read over the script… I was feeling that the temptation presented before me, especially as Hyde wiggled his eyebrows from across the table and stood up, presenting me with the pleasant sight of watching him leave, was only going to get stronger.

I eventually followed him back to the living space where we poured some more brandy, worked through the script and I ended up breaking out another bottle as we neared the end.

Hyde begun to squirm on the couch as we droned through the script – I lost track of time and the brandy was so warm through my system at this point. I could also tell that Hyde wanted to stretch out on the couch. So I picked up the laptop and moved to the fold-out futon, pushing the button to cause it to extend into its full bed form. Our speeches were getting slurred and we were moving through the script more slowly, but I continued to give it the full girth I had intended from the start – describing each scene in detail so Hyde could understand. We were coming to a crucial point, where Sho is about to die and Kei saves him with a scene that I hadn't yet decided on leaving in the film or not… Because we were dealing with vampires, the way a vampire can save life is to turn someone into a vampire as well. This process involves the vampire biting down on the other's neck, then making him drink vampiric blood, after which a dramatic transformation takes place. However since I had already decided on the tear-jerking ending I was thinking about omitting the scene and leaving it to the audience to discover what took place.

Yet glancing over at Hyde now, just the thought of us rehearsing such a scene, with him biting down on my neck sent shudders into my body at the thought. Clearly the brandy was fully in my system now for me to be thinking such things about my fellow artist friend across the room. I continued to read along as we encountered one of the final scenes and noticed that there was too much silence.

"Hyde, that's your line," I prompted. It caught him off guard and I heard him flicking at his lighter and cursing under his breath.

"I can't see my script," he remarked and glanced up at me. He looked tired and gave me a look like a little boy who wanted to crawl into bed with his parents. At least, I was taking his look as a silent way of inviting himself to join me on the bed. I was too tired to bother neglecting it in favor of my body's reactions so I turned the laptop to the side, letting the light shine off my face.

"We're nearly finished now. You could read the rest of it from my screen," I offered. Hyde quickly tossed the remaining script off his lap and in moments had joined me on the bed, scooting as close to me as he could without us touching. He smelled like our dinner and faded cigarette smoke, and yet there was a fresh clean peachy smell about him.

I tried to neglect the inviting scent and continued on with the story, describing the upcoming scene.

"_Nandaka tsukareta na, sukoshi meru yo_," Hyde quietly uttered, and for a moment I thought he was talking to me until I looked back at my laptop and realized he was reading his last line from the script. Suddenly it felt like something was pushing into me and as I glanced down I noticed that Hyde's eyes were shut and his head had fallen onto my shoulder. I swallowed.

Not wanting to point it out, I continued talking about the movie, speaking about how this part would contain a song – something special with meaning that would be a constant throughout the film and especially important at this point as the two vampire friends sang it together in their final moments. I looked down at Hyde again, whose breathing was getting heavier and I realized that he honestly was tired and falling asleep. I smiled softly and looked back at the laptop to see what time it was – amazed that it was reading near 4 in the morning. I hadn't realized we stayed up nearly the entire night working on this.

I didn't want to disturb Hyde's gentle slumber so I cautiously closed the laptop and moved slowly to leave it on the nightstand next to the fold-out bed. I slid my body down a little, Hyde's head gently following my move to remain on my shoulder. He sighed loudly, but it was a content noise, as though he were falling into a deeper sleep. I sighed in return and leaned my head against the back of the futon. Suddenly I was feeling a great peace. No, it wasn't anything even sexual; this could be considered a friendly act, a trusting moment between two people… And yet the simple fact that I had this beautiful man next to me, sleeping peacefully on my side as we lay content after spending a full 12 or more hours together brought me a joy unlike I had known yet. I closed my eyes and tried to rest a bit, realizing that falling into a deep sleep would be pointless this early anyway, seeing as I barely slept to begun with and the sun was coming up in a few moments.

But I couldn't get comfortable, despite how wonderful I felt with Hyde relaxing on me. A few minutes passed and soon Hyde made another little noise, turning his head and shifting slightly that caused the touching of our bodies to cease. I used this opportunity to pull out a sheet for the bed and undress myself for sleep. I didn't want to leave Hyde's side but I continued to fall into my natural habitat, just this time with him beside me. Surely I'd be awake before him anyway since I don't sleep and would have a chance to rise, dress, and go about my ways before he woke.

Hyde rolled over again and made a small noise. I looked over at him and noticed he was looking back at me through hooded eyelids. "Hyde?" I said, not quite sure if he was actually awake or not.

"I think… I had… too much brandy, Gacchan," he slowly slurred, a goofy grin filling his face.

Wait. Did he just say_ Gacchan_? I blinked and turned my body so we were facing each other. "What did you call me?" I asked, my brain telling me there's no way my own mind would make up something so ridiculously cute and yet wanting to hear him utter it again.

"Do you… know…remember… drummer Sakura-chan?" Hyde spoke again, long pauses between his words that I'm not sure if they were from the alcohol or effect of sleep.

"I know Sakurazawa, yes. I've met him a few times. We have a mutual friend." I responded, smiling as we engaged in friendly conversation. My vision was getting blurry as the brandy worked in me. I wasn't even sure if what I was hearing was real or if what I was planning to say in my head was coming out the way I wanted to when I spoke. It was so dark now with the candles out that I could barely see Hyde lying mere inches away from me, as much as I would have loved to.

Hyde let out a sigh. "I haven't spoke to him since…" His voice trailed off and we lie in silence for a while. I wasn't sure if he was just reminiscing or had fallen asleep. I desperately wanted to hear more and I wanted to move closer because he suddenly felt far away. "Do you know… people talked about us. All the time," Hyde droned on. I wasn't sure what he was going on about now. "Me and Sakura," Hyde continued, answering my question. "Sakura and Hyde….. _Sakuhai_," he laughed again. "Gomen. The brandy…. it… my head…"

My eyes, which had been falling shut, opened up again. Did he just make Sakura and his name into _one_?

"I miss Sakura," he said quietly and I heard him shuffle again to lie on his back, his eyes closed.

"Tell me more, Hyde," I responded quietly. But all I heard now was his heavy breathing aside of me. He was speaking so freely just now and although he mentioned Sakura's name several times, it didn't actually clear up any of the confusion of their supposed romance from the indie days of their band. Yet I suppose I had something over anyone else in this world – the one and only Hyde was lying in my bed talking about Sakura. He doesn't talk about Sakura at all, let alone lie in someone's bed and do so. I suppose that thought could be disheartening to some, given the situations that usually conjure in the brain when thinking of lying in bed with Hyde… Still, it didn't stop my longing to hear the true stories behind all the rumors. I rolled onto my back as well and stared at the ceiling until peace came over me again and I fell into a light sleep.

--

_**I**_heard a slight ruffling noise beside me and realized that Hyde was probably waking up now. I left my eyes closed, not wanting to scare him as he first woke and took a moment to familiarize with his surroundings once more. We went through a lot of brandy the night prior and even my head was still spinning a little. I saw Hyde sit up and swing his legs over the side. I didn't want him to feel awkward being awake in the bed while I still 'slept', so I reached out and gave his side a tender pinch.

"_Itai_!" he cried out and I smirked at the cute high-pitched noise he made. His head turned and he looked at me, wide-eyed, over his shoulder.

"Ohayo, Hyde. Genki?" I asked. He smiled back at me. I was hoping he slept well, hoping I didn't accidentally kick him during the night, hoping that he wasn't feeling strange this morning or sick from the brandy last night… "Are you hungry? My cooks are probably already putting together our breakfast." I explained. I had called them last night in my pacing of non-sleep and told them to have a breakfast ready for us and kept warm for 9 AM.

I sat up in the bed and his wide eyes left my face to trail my body. I was hoping he wouldn't be offended that I was sitting beside him half-naked. It was actually making me feel a little conscious. "I usually workout first thing in the morning but since you're here, I'll skip that for the time being and go take my shower."

But Hyde continued to stare and even had the audacity to do that sinful tongue jutting act that drives his fans wild. And right now it was driving me, and my manhood, absolutely crazy. I moved my legs beneath the sheets to hide my growing morning erection from his piercing stares. Somehow the whole act was feeling very naughty, as though we were entering into a seedy dorama right now. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of what could happen next in that dorama and just then Hyde looked up at me and I think my grin made him realize what I was noticing.

Then, Hyde quickly excused himself to the restroom, shuffling awkwardly out of the living space and leaving me, and my uncomfortable erection, alone. I used this time to quickly race to the tub and wash off. Yet in my haste, I forgot to bring a change of clothing with me, so I wrapped the towel around my waist and peered through the glass, but it was too steamed to see if Hyde was out there or not. I couldn't tell but it seemed like I would still have enough time to race to my closet and grab a change of clothes. But just as I exited I encountered Hyde on the other end, holding his hands in front of himself like a child who saw something he wasn't supposed to.

"Oh Hyde, I am sorry," I started, running my hand through my damp hair.

"Sorry?" Hyde looked confused.

"Yes I had meant to invite you to shower-"

"Aaa!" Hyde interrupted me, sitting down quickly on the couch and pulling the large script onto his lap. My eyebrows furrowed together at his strange actions.

"…You're welcome to take one if you like; I have fresh towels and everything." I concluded. Hyde bowed to me from his seat and I walked past him, heading for my closet to grab some new clothes.

Hyde was acting strange this morning. I realized that maybe he was feeling uncomfortable, having stayed over the night and me not saying anything to really ease the situation. So I reached back through my closet and pulled out an old shirt I had been holding onto. I would offer it to Hyde for him to change into – no, not only that I wanted to see him wearing it right away. I dressed and went back out to meet Hyde, shirt in hand. I noticed he was still sitting on the couch, the script on his lap, and chewing nervously on his lip.

"Well if you won't take a shower then at least let me get you a fresh shirt,"

"Oh no, it's ok. You probably won't have anything to fit me," he protested, but I didn't want to hear it. No more of this uncomfortableness between us. I wanted to go back to the peacefulness we had last ni—no, _early_ _this morning_ as we lay in the bed. I held the shirt out in front of him and Hyde gave it a look that wasn't helping our uneasy situation.

"I never even had a chance to wear it. Bought it a while back and as soon as I took it to be washed, the dry cleaner shrunk it," I explained, eyeing up its gorgeous patterns and fiery colors.

"Why would you have held onto it for so long?" Hyde asked, his hands patting the script that on his lap.

"I thought it would fit you perfectly,"

Hyde blinked. I couldn't stand the unease any longer.

"Here, let me help you put it on," I said, grabbing the script from his lap. Hyde still looked unnerved and began to fiddle his legs around so I pulled him up from the couch, his eyes looking at my collarbone when he was at full height next to me. Slowly, he looked up at me and our eyes met. It was as if, in that very moment, Hyde was giving me the permission to go forward with what I wanted to do next.

I put the shirt over my shoulder and reached for the top button of Hyde's white button-up shirt. But Hyde swatted at me so I reached around with my other hand. This happened a second time, and beginning to feel like Hyde was playing hard-to-catch purposefully. I let out a little sigh and a smile, causing his attention to go back to my face and as he looked into my eyes, my hands deftly undid his first two buttons.

He looked down a little, a pink hue starting to fill his perfect cheeks as I unhooked another button, and then the next… The very act of it was arousing me tremendously, so much that I didn't even worry about Hyde noticing the bulge through my leather pants.

Although there were only six buttons on Hyde's shirt, I wanted the moment to last forever. I slowly undid the fifth button and looked into Hyde's eyes just as he looked at mine and smiled tenderly at him. There was only one button remaining near the end of his shirt tails. I slid my hands down to feel the last button and could feel Hyde's eyes trailing down my body, his face blushing even deeper. I was aware that he probably noticed my excitement of the act.

And I wasn't alone in this, because as I undid the last button on Hyde's shirt, I could see his growing excitement too. Now there was a patch of tender white skin revealed through his slightly opened shirt. My whole body grew hot. I trailed my hands up his arms and slowly turned him around so his back was facing me and heard Hyde exhale loudly.

Slowly, I moved the top of his shirt off his shoulders and it began to slide down his arms when his tattoo was revealed to me. My mouth gaped open; I had almost forgotten about this treasure he had added to his already attractive features. His wings, the left one drawn with a slightly broken feather, inked onto his back were a gorgeous tribute on his body. I couldn't stop my fingers from reaching out to trace the lines.

"These are so beautiful," I whispered. "When I first noticed these at your concert, I couldn't help but think how perfect an addition they were to your body, Hyde. How long did it take you to get these done?" Hyde shuddered slightly under my touch as I continued to trace with one finger.

"I think it was about 4 hours," he answered. As he spoke, I moved in behind him, careful not to stand too close, but enough that my warmth was enveloping him. I couldn't prevent the quiet moan that escaped my mouth.

"You spent four hours, on your stomach, under a pulsating needle," I whispered into his ear, fully aware how wrong the sentence could be taken as my finger continued to outline his wing. Hyde's breathing became more labored and his head tilted back slightly, his hair in my face, his back pressing into my touch and his ass barely moving back against my arousal. I could barely utter my next sentence to him; "I admire your endurance, Hyde,"

I leaned my head forward to see his face and noticed that his eyes were closed and I saw him bite his lip. The very sight of Hyde looking _like that_ because of my actions was enough to send me over the edge. I had to excuse myself quickly.

"I'm going to go check on our breakfast," I said, tossing the shirt at Hyde as I quickly spun on my heel and left the room, my hand pushing over my erection in a sad attempt to tone it down. I quickly escaped to the restroom while exhaling a deep breath I didn't know I was holding in. Things between us certainly escalated fast and it was a huge step beyond anything else we'd done in the short time we knew each other.

_I_ had no idea if our breakfast was ready yet because I had ran to the bathroom hidden within my master bedroom. I splashed cold water on my face several times and did some slow breathing techniques. Hyde was having an extreme effect on me now and I had to keep my cool. The moment that just happened between us was turning so sexual that I had to end it before it went any further. After all, Hyde hadn't even agreed to do the movie yet.

I started worrying that now he was sure to say no – either because of what just happened or because of what could have happened and didn't. My mind was a fluster. Although other parts of my body would have loved to continue, the movie was the main reason that any of this was even happening and we had to get back to business.

I couldn't waste anymore time in here so I pulled down my shirt tails, took a deep breath and went back to the living space, letting Hyde know he could join me in the kitchen whenever he was ready.

I sat in the breakfast hutch, thinking I should start eating without him when suddenly Hyde's small frame appeared in the doorway carrying his jacket, and wearing the shirt. I immediately wanted to compliment him on how good it looked but didn't want to bring back the moment so quickly so instead I slid over the plate of pastries and Hyde dug right in. Soon my chefs brought out plates of food and we ate in peace. When we had finished, Hyde leaned back in his chair.

"This has been… too much. I mean really, it's been an interesting time staying here with you. And this breakfast was wonderful, Gackt," Hyde stood up, reaching for his snakeskin jacket hanging on the chair behind him.

"All this and I'm back to being _just Gackt_ again?" I made a faux frown. Surely Hyde would be confused but part of me wanted to bring up the adorable name he had called me the night before, thinking it would give him a good laugh and ease more of our tension.

"Wh—what do you mean?" he asked, sliding on his jacket with a smile.

"Last night you called me… wait what was it – Oh yes; _Gacchan_." I enunciated the nickname and smiled at him, resting my chin in my hands. He paused momentarily in sliding on his coat and gave me a weird face. I wanted to add that there's no way I could ever come up with such a name but his face was showing no recollection whatsoever and he looked lost.

I made my way over to him, helping him finish putting his jacket on and straightening the collar. "You don't remember doing that, do you Hyde?" I said with a laugh.

"I have to say I don't. I think the brandy went straight to my head," He gave a nervous laugh and redid his jacket's collar the way he preferred.

"You said that last night, too. And then you waxed on about—yes, it was Sakurazawa. For a long while." I wondered if I should have left dead things lie, but more than anything I wanted to hear more. And I wanted to let it be known that last night we had a tremendous comfort zone, so much that he was willing to speak to me about one of the darker parts of his past. I wanted him to realize that I was okay with it and that I enjoyed it. "I do hope you'll tell me more sometime, Hyde," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I enjoyed how freely you were speaking with me and… well I must admit that the brandy was swirling in my brain too so I don't remember all too clearly myself!"

He sighed. "Thanks again for the shirt," he said with a small tug at it. "I'll wash it when I get home and return it to you."

"Nonsense, Hyde. Keep it. It looks fabulous on you," Well he had to know what I thought. I really did enjoy the way it looked on him, tightly hugging his small frame.

"Well, thanks again." He said and in moments, exited my home. I had realized that again I was getting caught up in our personal moments and forgot about the movie.

"Oh Hyde, wait!" I yelled after him and he stopped mid-walk to turn around and look at me. I raised a finger to tell him to wait and rushed into my office to grab the freshly printed script. Next to it lie my packs of cigarettes and a set of matches. I had been resisting the urge very well, probably due to the distraction of Hyde and yet now as I stared at them lying there, abandoned in my wantonness to quit and the thought that Hyde was leaving my house and I would be alone with naught but thoughts of what occurred between us…

I went back outside, a fresh lit cigarette dangling between my lips. The nicotine felt so good already rushing through my system. "Here is the script, with the revisions we spoke about last night. I printed off a full copy for you to take home and look over," I handed it to him but he didn't take it and rather stared at my cigarette as though I had just put an M-80 in my mouth. "Hyde?" I asked, moving my head to get his attention.

"Oh, god I'm sorry. It's just, I'm dying for a smoke and all my lighters are empty. Do you think you could get me a light?" He began to reach for his pack of cigarettes. I hadn't given it much thought but the whole time we were together neither one of us had lit up once. He fumbled around as I held the heavy script in my hand. But there was no way I could light one for him anyway as I had used a match from my office, now discarded in the trash.

"Here," I said, taking the cigarette from my mouth and placing it between his lips when he turned to face me. Hyde's eyes fell shut as he inhaled that first drag and then puffed out smoke circles. I grinned as I watched him get pleasure from the nicotine. Watching Hyde enjoy the cigarette had me entranced until he stopped to say thanks and offered it back to me. I put the sweet stick back into my mouth, my lips moving awkwardly in an attempt to taste Hyde on it.

I dropped the script into his hands and he bowed and made his way to his car. I waved at him as he honked and pulled off and stood in the driveway for a bit, finishing off my cigarette. As it neared the end, I stubbed it out on the cement and then looked at it closely. I hadn't given it a second thought when he asked for a drag and yet now the very act of what we did was enough to make me shudder as I head back indoors.

I wanted to share even more with Hyde.

I have always believed in everything happening for a reason and my thoughts of destiny bringing us together couldn't possibly be wrong now. Part of me wanted to call him right away and hear him say YES to the movie but I knew that would sound much too desperate. I would give him another day or two to consider.

As I entered the living space I noticed Hyde's white shirt lying on my floor and stopped walking mid-step. _I should pick it up, fold it nicely and put it aside so that I can return it to him_. At least that's what my brain was telling me to do.

But the rest of me was longing to be back with Hyde in this room right now and in a shameful act I got down on my knees and picked up the bundled shirt, bringing it to my face and inhaling Hyde's very present scent. I could smell faded cigarettes, a dash of his cologne and deodorant, and yet there was still that fresh peach scent that reminded me precisely of him. A moment passed and I realized just how ridiculous and wrong this would look should anyone happen to see me. I was acting like a crazed man but I couldn't help it. _Hyde had done something to me_.

I stood up, brushing off my knees and folding Hyde's shirt, putting it on top of my closed laptop on the coffee table. My hand went to my forehead, eyes falling shut as I tried to calm my nerves. I decided I should get my daily work out and now would be the best time to sweat off these emotions.

I found myself running faster and pushing harder than ever.

Just as I was stepping off the treadmill, my cell phone began to ring. "Moshi moshi?" I answered, not even taking a moment to glance at who it was coming from.

"Gacchan, it's me," I heard on the other end, no mistaking who '_me_' was.

"Hyde! I'm so glad to hear from you so soon." I sat down on the couch and clutched my phone closely to my ear. "Listen, you forgot your shirt here but-"

"I know. It's not about that." He interrupted me. "It's about this movie. I… I'm sorry but I'm going to have to say '_no_'."

* * *

_to be continued... _


	3. Chapter 2 ' All because of a shirt

**Chapter 2 **

I tried to write this from a third person view but realized that I appreciated doing each of their POVs better. This one will switch between their POVs, starting with Gackt's. It will be marked when the POV switches. Hopefully you will be able to follow.

Please let me know what you think about it - I am not sure how to write the story, if from third person or POV switching is better and I appreciate the input from readers!!

* * *

_(from the end of Chapter 1b, Gackt's POV...)--_

_Just as I was stepping off the treadmill, my cell phone began to ring. "Moshi moshi?" I answered, not even taking a moment to glance at who it was coming from._

_"Gacchan, it's me," I heard on the other end, no mistaking who '__me' was._

_"Hyde! I'm so glad to hear from you so soon." I sat down on the couch and clutched my phone closely to my ear. "Listen, you forgot your shirt here but-"_

_"I know. It's not about that." He interrupted me. "It's about this movie. I… I'm sorry but I'm going to have to say '__no'."_

* * *

_Gackt's POV__**  
**_

_**I**_ sat perfectly still, holding the phone very near to my ear. Surely I couldn't have heard that correctly…

"I'm sorry Hyde you'll have to repeat that. I... think there is a bad connection between our phones," I pleaded, shutting my eyes tight as my ears strained to listen.

I heard Hyde sigh from the other end. "I can't do the movie. I'm sorry,"

I didn't know how to react. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't even sure if I was still breathing, only aware that I had been blinking rapidly. There was no way Hyde could turn me down, I absolutely had to have him by my side! How could anything have gone wrong? The script reading went fantastic last night and even Hyde was having an input in it. I thought we were getting along so well. Not to mention the intense chemistry we had shared….

I swallowed the lump hanging in my throat. As much as I enjoyed every minute we just shared, I now wanted no more than to kick myself for what had started happening between us. Could it be that my bold actions scared Hyde off? But yet…

"Gackt? Are you still there?" Hyde's voice echoed through the phone. I heard a tapping noise through the receiver. "Maybe the connection is a little fuzzy…" Hyde was musing to himself loudly enough that I could still hear him.

"Hyde," I started. I wasn't even sure what to say next but I didn't want the conversation to die. There had to be some way I could get Hyde wanting to do the movie again. "I'm sorry, what is it that led you to this decision?" God, that sentence sounded so business-like and I wasn't sure that was the approach he wanted to take in this situation. But I had to keep my cool.

"I just... I don't think I'm cut out for it, you know? I don't have enough confidence in myself for this. Besides my management says I should release another album early next year and there's so much work to do for that and-"

I sighed as Hyde continued to give me excuses. This was surely a damper on my mood. But just as Hyde was finishing off his list, I recalled that I still had his shirt at my house.

"I still have your shirt." _Hey, bluntness works._

"Yeah, about that. Um, listen will you be around tomorrow night? I have to head in that direction for a function and can drop by on my way home..." Hyde started.

I'm sure if there had been a mirror in front of me I would have seen a very cheshire-cat-like grin forming from the end of my lips. The idea of getting Hyde into my home again would give me the chance to talk things out with him face-to-face and convince him to join the project this time. I'd just need a method of keeping him there longer than it took to hand over the shirt…

"Let me check my calendar," I said, although I honestly had no intentions of looking_. Are you kidding_? I would drop** anything** I had just to hang around this house and wait for Hyde. Hyde had to be Kei in this movie and I would do anything to see to it. I pretended to be flipping the pages of my date book, when in all reality right now I couldn't even picture where I last left that thing. "Looks like I will be available tomorrow night. What time would you be stopping in?"

"Great, great… Um well it doesn't start until 8 and I have to show face for a decent amount of time so… maybe close to 10? If that isn't too late, that is," Hyde replied.

"At 10? See you then," I said, and promptly ended the conversation.

_After all, there were preparations to make._

* * *

_Hyde's POV_

_**I**_ adjusted my jacket as I walked into the large hall. How I hated having to make appearances like this but my ridiculous management insisted on it, given how important it was for my budding solo career. While _Roentgen_ had sold incredibly well, there were still many followers of L'ArcenCiel that my agents had wanted me to capture. So I was making quite the many rounds performing a few songs and making appearances to keep my name in the news and entice even more people to purchase the album.

To be honest, I had no plans on hanging around - just staying just long enough to show face and get a few drinks of course. It was an open bar and I smartly decided to arrive by taxi so I figured I should indulge. It may sound sad, but right off the bat I was already downing a shot of whiskey to calm my nerves.

Being at the function itself didn't really have me on edge. Afterall, I was used to smiling for people regardless of how shitty I felt, and truthfully loved discussing my projects, especially this solo career, though I'm sure most of the people who asked me had no clue what the music really means anyway. None of this was anything new to me. The part that had me nervous was that I knew in a short while I would be going to Gackt's house...

It's embarrassing to admit, but just thinking about that was enough to make me adjust myself in my pants, trying to hide the action as I leaned along the bar and took in the crowd. Instantly the image of Gackt standing behind me and removing my shirt was fresh in the front of mind (again) and it was as though I could feel the heat of Gackt's breath on the back of my neck. Actually, my neck was feeling very warm as if someone was right there--

"H_YYY_DE!" Tetsu suddenly shouted, tossing his lanky arms around my neck. "Oh my gosh I hadn't expected to see you here! How are things? It's been a while since we spoke. Your album is doing GREAT I hear, I see you on my TV all the time – that one PV, I could hardly get over how blond your hair looked-"

"Tetsu!" I had to shout to stop my wonderful bassist friend from rambling. "It's nice to see you too. Hey I read you were going to be doing an album with Morrie? Is it true?"

Tetsu's eyes bulged out of his head. "YES. We're not sure what to name the band yet, probably something with '_Creature_' in it..."

"Wait, wait - _BAND_? You're starting a new group?" Goodness, he moves fast. I quickly ordered another shot.

"Nah, just a temporary thing. It'll be a one-shot album – a dream of mine come true to work with Morrie. I think it's important to collaborate with other big artists while we're away from Laruku, don't you think Hyde?"

I let out a quiet forced cough at the mention and downed my second whiskey shot. _Yea, important to collaborate... Not sure if the collaboration **I'm** getting into is what you mean by that but…_

"So what have you been up to?" Tetsu asked, interrupting my thoughts and leaning on the bar while ordering a shirley temple. "I tried calling you last night, you know. Sorry I didn't bother to leave a message."

I blinked. _My phone rang last night_? Last night I was wandering the dark halls of Gackt's home, stepping on rose petals, getting wasted on brandy while listening to Gackt's soothing voice talk about Sho and Kei and vampires and guns. And then I was lying in his bed and telling him secrets about Sakura… _Sakura_...

"Have you seen Ken lately?" I started, one thought leading to another and eager to change the topic. "I heard he's working with Sakura again on some new band _with a lewd title_," I emphasized.

Tetsu took a sip from his drink and glanced side-long at me at the mention of Sakura's name. I know they don't quite get along the way they used to, but this childlike drama between them has got to stop at some point. "Yes. _Sons Of All Pussy's_, I think they call themselves. It's wild music. They have a _German_ bassist. Not sure how that came about... Ken's let himself go lately too; I've never seen his hair so long! Hey I was wondering if we should try a new look when we come back to Laruku – something with our hair. That always makes a statement."

Somehow Tetsu always managed to drag the topic into something else in a matter of seconds.

"But then you've already done that, what with going_ platinum_ here. How do you enjoy it? I liked being blond but it didn't seem to suit me-"

"Tetsu I was blond before, remember?" I interrupted, having enough of the whiskey and ordering a beer this time.

"Yea but you looked different then." Tetsu stepped back and looked closely at me. "You look different now." His face seemed laced with concern.

I felt somewhat offended by that remark. "Of course I do, I'm older! What do you expect five years later?" The bartender handed me the beer so I took a generous sip of it. Wanting to get off the topic, I began discussing the upcoming year and the plans my agents had in mind so soon.

"Wait, if you're not doing another album until next Spring, what are you going to do all summer and fall this year? Make some kids?" Tetsu said, pushing at me enough to make me topple a little off my feet. All he got back from me was a death glare that lasted a good minute. Tetsu continued to sip on his drink, staring at me with wide eyes as if the look I gave him wasn't enough of an answer.

"No! I don't want kids, you know that! I hardly trust myself with my own life, let alone someone else's." I eventually yelled at him.

"Then whatever do you have planned for the rest of this year, hmm? Surely you're leaving open a lot of space." Tetsu grinned from behind his glass. I don't like all this poking and prodding, no matter how much I trust someone like Tetsu. But the truth was, I had left the time open in case I had been interested in actually doing the film with Gackt. But God, I could never tell Tetsu that because I would _never _hear the end of it...

"Look we don't _all _have to be working constantly. Take some time off once in a while. Get some rest. It'll help reduce those **bags** under your eyes," I said with a sly smirk as Tetsu's jaw dropped open at the mention of his most hated feature.

"Oh my gosh, they look awful tonight, don't they just?" Tetsu said, rubbing a hand over the one. I rolled my eyes_. Why do I always bring that up, I know it brings out his narcissistic side…_

"You look fine Tetchan." I quickly reassured and gave Tetsu a pat on his arm. "Hey, I have to make the rounds and see some faces if I plan on getting out of here anytime soon,"

"Why in such a rush to leave? They're having a band come to play later and I heard there's a special announcement from the Fuji group too. Besides I'm here and we could hang out, like old times," He winked and that produced a small chuckle from me.

"I'd love to really, but I have somewhere else to be at 10," I replied, feeling a little guilty for leaving my trusted band mate just to go somewhere I wasn't feeling comfortable about. I was surprised I didn't feel more awful about it. Here I have the opportunity to hang out with leader-sama, whom I haven't seen in a while, talk about music and drink until I'm content and yet I was willingly deciding to leave him just to go back to _Gackt'_s house…

What's wrong with this picture?! What's wrong is that I've made up my mind to ditch _Tetsu_ in favor of **Gackt.** Oh the world is going to turn upside down right at this moment. Or maybe just my stomach for now. When that realization hit me, I suddenly felt very uncomfortable in this environment.

"Oh, that's too bad. Man they really are working you hard huh? See, starting your own label isn't easier, I told you!" Tetsu gave a small laugh and then quickly pulled me in for a hug. We exchanged goodbyes, I set down my empty glass, and then made my way around the room quickly, stopping to chat briefly with all the famous faces so I could get out of this place.

* * *

_Gackt's POV_

_**I**_t's just a plain white button-down top. And yet that _Dior_ label staring me in the face was enough to make me realize that Hyde definitely would want it back. That small tag eased my doubts. Hyde would show up at my house to get his shirt, I was sure of it.

I stood in the living room, slowly sipping my wine as I stared down at his neatly folded shirt sitting on my coffee table.

The trick now was getting Hyde to stay here longer than it would take for me to hand this shirt to him and wish him on his way. I had to make the opportunity arise for some serious discussion about the movie project.

Again my mind was back at the [**MOON** project – seeing Hyde in all the vampiric glory I could imagine. It could not be complete without him. But something shook me of my reverie – something furry and small bustling quickly past my legs that caused my body to jump and some of my wine to fall from the glass, landing right on my pale coloured top.

"Belle Constantine Chappy! Go lay down!" I yelled, inwardly cursing myself for not leaving the dog with the dog-sitter an extra day. I saw Belle scatter and run up the stairs, hopefully making herself hidden for the rest of the night. It was then I realized I had no idea what Hyde thought of pets...

But before I could allow myself to entertain the thought, I was brought back to the glaring purple stain on my light blue top. No doubt I would have to change now and there's no way it would be ready to wear again by time Hyde would arrive.

The thought angered me, since I had wasted so much time in my closet deciding on the proper attire for tonight. I sat down my glass and with a sigh removed the shirt, turning it in my hands to look more closely at the marking.

Then, something struck me.

Did you ever see those cartoons where the character suddenly has a lightbulb floating over his head? A chance of brilliance, a eureka moment…

Yes, suddenly_ I_ had that lightbulb. Because I had an idea on how to get Hyde to stay just long enough.

* * *

_Hyde's POV_

**_I_** called a taxi from my cellphone, making my way out of the elevator and anxious to leave the stuffy crowd I had spent the last hour and a half pretending to mingle with. I went outside, the weather for this time warmer than usual, or maybe just the whiskey reacting in my body, and unbuttoned part of my overshirt. I probably reeked of alcohol.

Finally the cab arrived so I shuffled in and made myself comfortable in the back seat until I found the cabby's eyes glaring at me.

"Hold on, I don't know the address by heart!" I said, just as my cellphone's scrolling landed on the_ heart-covered _name of Gackt. _God, I forgot he did that._ I rolled my eyes and opened the contact, giving the driver the location.

As I tried to relax in the back of the car, I attempted to fix up my appearance a bit and pulled out a cigarette to calm the nerves_. There should be no reason I'm nervous going to Gackt's house. I've been there before so I know what to expect and all I have to do is pick up my shirt and leave. It'll be a cinch_.

The cabby pulled up to a home a block away from Gackt's address, just as I had given him just for the sake of keeping Gackt's privacy. I paid the driver and exited the car, using this time to smoke another cigarette and get some fresh air as I walked the short remaining block to Gackt's house.

Compared to the homes around it, Gackt's place was so dark, making it even easier to point out amongst the other residences. When I finished my cigarette, I dropped it on the road, twisting it firmly with my boot and taking a deep breath as I walked up the driveway to Gackt's door. I knocked once. Then twice. _Then a third time_...

"Jesus, last time the door opened on its own and now it's as if he's not even here," I spoke to myself. So I raised my fist to knock again but suddenly Gackt was there at the doorway, giving me a frantic look.

"Gackt! You did remember I was coming, right? I mean, last night I said I would drop by afte-"

"Hyde, I'm so sorry!" Gackt started, pulling me through the doorway and closing the door behind us. He bowed down low.

_What the hell_… "For what?" I asked in confusion.

"Your shirt. I-… This is so foolish of me, I feel like an idiot!" Gackt answered as he latched his hands onto my arm and lead me back to that familiar living room. I followed quietly behind him, wondering what was happening to have him so upset.

When we reached the room, Gackt bowed to me again.

"Gacchan, cut it out, will you!" I said, grabbing the sides of his arms and forcing him to stand up straight. "What's wrong?" I demanded, some concern in my voice.

"I ruined your shirt, Hyde." Gackt said quietly.

"That's it? You're worried about my shirt?" I clicked my tongue and sat down on the leather couch behind us. "Gackt, don't do that to me! I thought there was something serious the matter with you,"

I could really use another cigarette now.

"I'm so foolish, I hope you can forgive me." he started. "You see, I was having a glass of wine when my dog ran past me, barking at something or who knows, but she stirred me and I lost my footing and well… I spilled the wine and it landed on your perfectly white shirt." Gackt sighed and sat down next to me on the couch, putting his head into his hands.

I couldn't help but smile and laugh a little bit. "Of course I forgive you. It's just a shirt. I have plenty more."

"I'm having it taken to the dry cleaner," Gackt blurted out.

"What?"

"Yes, I called my servant and told him to rush over here to have it dry cleaned and pressed."

"You're not serious, are you?" I remarked, standing up from the couch. "Gackt, it's just a shirt! There's no need for you to go through all that-"

"I'm sorry, Hyde!" Gackt said now standing up as well. "I felt so guilty about it and… damn the cleaner's, I told him be here an hour ago – this could have been taken care of without you even-"

"No, no!" I argued, putting my hands in the way of Gackt and his cellphone just as he was picking it up, I assume to dial his cleaners. "No, look it's really not that important to me." I couldn't seem to stress this fact enough.

Gackt dropped his phone and stared at me, disappointment on his face. It was enough to make me actually feel bad for him. He was genuinely upset at spilling wine on my shirt. _It's just a shirt! I have more! I have enough money to buy another and not even care about this one!_ I could have yelled all these things aloud right now but rather I offered Gackt a smile, my hand resting on his arm.

"Look, I appreciate you going through all of this, really. You're too kind, Gacchan."

Gackt smiled back at me tenderly. He let out a quiet sigh, almost like a dreamy sigh if I dare call it that. He looked a little overcome and I would be lying if I didn't say it started to make me nervous. But before I even had the chance to withdraw, he was suddenly pulling me into a close and very tight embrace. I bet my eyes bulged just like in anime. Gackt's hug was rigid and not at all comforting. It was… awkward.

When it broke, Gackt got up and disappeared and I nearly pulled out that cigarette from my back pocket. I still didn't know if Gackt ever smoked in his house or not and didn't want to be disrespectful in case he didn't. Not that I would be able to tell anyway with how strongly this room smelled of roses and that _damned Egoiste _cologne that I was now able to smell on my own shirt from our hug.

Shortly after, Gackt came back with my shirt in his hand, covered with a stain of red wine blotted on the upper left. I stood up and examined the shirt as he held it. _What did he do, dump the whole glass?_ But I wanted to make light of the situation.

"It's really not that bad," I lied. "I'm sure I could have it bleached out in no time," I explained, tugging at the shirt to take it from him.

But Gackt wouldn't let me have it. I tugged again and this time he actually pulled it away from me.

"Gacchan, give me my shirt!" I said, adding a playful smile as I reached out for it. Gackt grinned back and pulled away once more.

"I told you, I'm having it taken care of. It's my fault it was stained and it's my duty to clean it up," Gackt responded, and as I reached out again for it, he lifted the shirt high into the air. _Ohhh that's just cruel_.

"Don't be ridiculous," I called out, this time racing after him as he ran behind the couch with my shirt, laughing all the way. "It's not a big deal!" I swatted and Gackt swiftly moved backwards so I just missed it.

"But I want to! I'll feel--" Gackt jumped over the coffee table as I lunged at him. "—much better if I can do this for you, ne?"

"NE?" I yelled in mockery. Ok, I admit it; _This was fun_. "Gacchan!!"

Again I was lunging out and this time, the shirt was finally in my grip. But almost in slow-motion I noticed Gackt's eyes go wide and I saw him begin to fall _backward_. Apparently the futon, which was still left open from the previous night, was right behind him and in a miscalculation of steps, Gackt had tumbled into it… just as I was lunging at him.

So there was Gackt, lying on the futon and there I was, now lying _right on top of him_ with nothing but my wine-stained and _now-very-wrinkled _shirt between us.

_Oh, it's so cliché, isn't it?_

I couldn't tell you how long we laid like that catching our breath because the moment seemed to freeze in time.

* * *

_Gackt POV_

**_I_**t all happened so fast and suddenly my back was on the futon and Hyde was on top of me.

It was almost as if I arranged for it to happen that way but I only wish I had been clever enough to think of such a thing._ If I had known this was all it would take to get Hyde lying on top of me…_

And he was still grinning as he did, the only sound being our labored breathing from the chase. I wanted to toss the shirt out from between us, the only thing breaking the direct contact of our clothed abdomens. I wanted to cup Hyde's slightly flushed cheeks and pull him into a kiss but my hands were wrapped beneath that damned shirt of his and just as I was imagining that, I was suddenly aware that I couldn't afford to move without making Hyde aware just how much I was enjoying this moment.

Time seemed to last for ages but only minutes later I was wishing it had been longer when Hyde finally slid off of me, laughing nervously as he combed his blond hair back with his hand. I slowly sat up, trying to smooth out the wrinkles we just made on the shirt.

"Gomen," Hyde said quietly and I noticed he was glancing at me from the corner of his eyes.

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have teased you and I obviously didn't mean to trip," I replied, still smoothing out the garment.

"That wasn't very graceful of you," Hyde said with a laugh. He was looking at me now and I had to look away, focusing my attention to the shirt.

"I've been tripping a lot lately, I better watch myself at my next live," I retorted, turning the garment over to smooth it some more. Then Hyde's hand was on mine…

"Gacchan, stop. I don't care about the wrinkles, ok?" Hyde said with his eyebrows raised. I blushed slightly and handed the garment to him. He laid it behind us on the futon. "Um, are you ok?" he suddenly asked.

_Oh no, what does he see? What did he sense?_ "What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean I feel like you're not yourself. You seem so different from… the other night," Hyde spoke bluntly, staring me in the eyes. I took to finding interest in twisting around the ring on my pointer finger. This was the conversation I wanted to have anyway.

"I suppose you're right." I started and took a deep breath. "Hyde, I won't lie to you. I'm… well I'm disappointed that you turned down my movie offer."

"Gacchan… look-"

"No, let me finish. I really thought things went well the other night with the script read. I loved that you were giving me input and I thought we were building a real connection." I finally looked up at Hyde. "I truly meant all those things I said about you being perfect for the film. I have complete confidence in your abilities and I cannot see this production going on without you."

It was as close to saying _I Need You_ as I was going to get right now.

Hyde's eyes seemed to soften and he looked down at the floor. "I… don't know what to say," he started quietly. "I mean, I appreciate you considering me-"

"No, not just _considering_ you Hyde," _Wanting you. Needing you. It has to be you_. God, how I had wanted to say that to him. Instead, "You are the one. You are Kei the vampire, don't you see it?" I grabbed the sides of his arms, forcing him to look at me. He finally looked into my eyes so I continued to tell him just why I felt that he was perfectly cast, being cautious not to say anything too strongly to scare him away.

Just as we were locked in each other's gaze, my door bell rung. We turned to look towards it and I let go of Hyde, grabbing his shirt as I stood up.

"Gacchan, no," I heard and felt Hyde's hands around my wrist. I looked down at him and he was shaking his head. "Please don't bother with the shirt. I can take care of it,"

"Hyde, they're here and ready to take it for cleaning-" I argued.

"No, come on now," he said, standing up and grabbing the other end of his shirt as if we were going to start a tug-of-war game with it…

_Remember that lightbulb over my head from earlier? It appeared again._

"Fine, I won't have the shirt cleaned… _IF_ you agree to sign on to my movie project," I grinned at him. Hyde's eyes went wide.

* * *

_Hyde's POV_

_--**T**_HE HELL?

Here I am, clinging onto my shirt – Yes, _MY_ SHIRT – as Gackt threatens to take it away.

I don't want him to clean my shirt, I hate that he's taking responsibility over this and treating me this way and NOW of all things he's giving me an ultimatum… 'DO THE MOVIE OR I TAKE YOUR SHIRT'. Who does that?! It's _my_ shirt dammit!

I should just let him take it. He's only having it cleaned; it's not like they're going to shred it to pieces and I'll never see it again. But my mind starts to work in circles – I'll either have to stay for a while as it's being cleaned and endure more cliché situations, like falling on Gackt and lying there as we pretend it's not awkward or uncomfortable for a few minutes… _What was that anyway? _Or if I don't stay for the shirt, then we'll have to meet –_again_– to exchange it and I'll have to endure this movie talk even more.

I had a feeling Gackt was not going to give up on me being in this film, either.

Maybe I could just say _yes_ – and then just drop out of the project later. After all, my management only knows that I was going to talk to Gackt about something. They don't know the details yet and perhaps they will disapprove. Hell _I will make them_ disapprove.

Right now I just want my shirt and I want these awkward moments to stop. I can say yes and opt out later on. Who knows if this movie will even get off the ground anyway…

"Fine," I reply, letting go and leaving him with shirt in his hands. Gackt's face dropped as it appeared that I was giving up possession. But then I turned my hands, palms up. "Give me my shirt then." According to Gackt's challenge, getting my shirt back meant I had just accepted to work in his film.

Gackt's eyes went wide and the biggest (_most beautiful_) smile I've ever seen filled his face. "Oh Hyde! Honto? _Honto_?" He yelled and I nodded, unable to stop my own smile from seeing his thrilled reaction.

Again he was pulling me into a hug but this one was warm and enveloping. He was squeezing me tightly as if he wasn't going to let go…_ever_. I could almost swear he also kissed my hair but I couldn't quite tell by how much he was moving and swinging us around during the hug. Clearly he was ecstatic.

Gackt let go and tossed the shirt at me, rushing to his door to, I suppose, tell the cleaner's that they were no longer needed. I looked at my shirt and the stain as Gackt came back wearing a huge grin.

"Your shirt is still a mess," he said and I waved my hand in disregard.

"Ah, I could use a color like this in my wardrobe," I said with a laugh. "I still doubt my acting abilities though," jumping back into the previous topic.

"Let's prove it then," Gackt said, sitting down on the couch. "We can run a screen test – just a few minutes with us interacting, pretending to be our characters."

I agreed to it and I pulled out my cell phone to call for a taxi but Gackt quickly jumped off his spot on the couch and interrupted me.

"You came by taxi?" he asked. _How did he know?_ I slowly nodded. "Nonsense, let me drive you home,"

"Gacchan, no. I can't ask for you to do any more for me. I don't mind taking a cab, it's okay." But Gackt had once again pulled my cell phone out of my hands and flipped it shut.

"I'm driving you home," Gackt said, putting the closed phone into my hand and then disappeared momentarily to get his keys. "C'mon, let's go."

Finally when I thought I had triumphed over a moment that made me feel helpless, Gackt somehow knew how to put me right back into that spot. I sighed, my only form of rebellion at this point, and followed Gackt out to his car. But as we entered the garage, all I could do was gape.

"What is this?!" I started, trying not to laugh. Gackt looked at me with a deadpan expression.

"A car..." he responded, spinning the keys around his finger.

"Gacchan, you're an alien!" It was the strangest looking car I had ever seen. You'd swear it was a spaceship. Despite the fact I couldn't stop staring, it somehow seemed to fit right in with the rest of Gackt's quirky nature. Gackt turned around and gave me a look as I continued to ogle the car, taking a moment to walk around it and see all its sides. Gackt just grinned and unlocked the doors.

"Get in, _baka_." he said with a smile and I dropped myself into the passenger seat. Gackt opened the garage door and revved up the engine just as the car was starting. Instantly the speakers came on, quite loudly, and what did I hear but none other than my own voice singing back at me from the CD player. I narrowed my eyes and turned to face Gackt who gave me a sheepish grin and turned the volume down.

"No, leave it turned up. I like the sound of my own voice," I teased.

"Now there's certainly no denying how much of a fan I am, ne?" Gackt said in reply. I had to laugh at that and started to quietly sing along to the song playing, probably to the delight of Gackt's ears. "Is that… weird to you?" Gackt continued.

"What, hearing my own songs play? C'mon, you know what that's like Gackt," I answered..

"No, no. I mean, my admitting to being a big fan." Gackt continued as he drove out of the area and head onto the highway. I had to stop and think about it for a moment.

"It's a compliment," I answered honestly. "And I have to say-" _God, this could be dangerous territory but as long as I'm being honest…_ "Well I enjoy some of your music too."

* * *

_Gackt POV_

**_H_**yde enjoys _my _music? I could shout to the heavens and probably write an entirely new song just about that right now. The night was going so well; he laid on me, he agreed to do my movie, and now he was singing in my car and telling me he likes my music.

"Really?" I asked, looking over at Hyde who only nodded slightly in reply and began singing along to his song again. "Well I'm flattered," I responded.

"But some of your slower stuff is way too mushy." Hyde teased. "Don't you ever get tired singing about unrequited love?"

"My lyrics are always from the heart, Hyde. I sing about what inspires me,"

"And unrequited love is inspiring?"

"Not in the way you're thinking," I answered, going around a curve a little too quickly that caused Hyde to lean toward me until we finished going around the bend. "I just write whatever I feel."

"So who is it then?" Hyde pushed for answers. "Who is this person that you fear won't ever return your feelings, hm?" he said it dramatically for effect.

_Right now it's you_, I thought to myself, somewhat eager to change the topic.

"It's not like_ you've_ never sung about love," I retorted, turning up the next L'Arc-en-Ciel song to help prove the point. "And some of those earlier songs of yours…" I trailed off, glancing sidelong at my passenger.

"…what do you mean by that?" Hyde asked, staring intently at me.

"I think I can sum it up in three words;_ good morning Hide_," I answered, grinning and anxious for the response it would merit from him. I knew bringing up a conversation about the lyrics to that song might be pushing it but the conversation was getting intriguing and it was something I really wanted to know, once and for all.

Hyde grew silent. He turned his head, opting to look out the window for a bit. It occurred to me that I had struck a nerve with Hyde, indicated by the sudden silence we were sharing. So I figured I had three options at this point; change the topic and move on, sit in silence and enjoy the music, or press forward and find out the truth.

"Hyde, you can tell me," I started quietly. "I mean, if you ever need a friend to talk to about things, I hope I can be that friend for you." But when I glanced over I saw the back of Hyde's head. The road was getting windy so I turned my attention back to it, realizing that we had unwillingly chose option two; to continue the rest of the trip in silence.

"We needed another song to fill the album," Hyde suddenly spoke, his voice quiet. I quickly looked over at him, still seeing the back of his bleached hairs and turned the volume down to hear him better. "We had a deadline to reach and time was running out. Sakura had… he wrote a poem for me and suggested to Tetchan that we use it. Tetsu was reluctant because it was in all in English and said our fans wouldn't understand it. Tetsu didn't even understand it. So Sakura told him that was exactly the reason we should throw it in there, kind of like a mystery. And people like mysteries, it keeps their interest. But then you know all about that, ne?"

His head turned to look at me and I could see him from the corner of my eyes before he stared forward on the road. His expression was blank. "We never performed it live," Hyde continued. "And that's what made it even more special I think. The song was like our secret message to each other. My voice, Sakura's words. Even if our fans were ever able to discover the translation, we figured they'd never understand what the lyrics meant anyway…"

My English itself is limited but I remember spending some time to pour over the lyrics and try to make sense of it. I even had my staff help me translate parts of it, never quite telling them it was a L'Arc song, though I think some of them knew. We all came up with the same words though and I still never knew what it was saying. I wanted Hyde to tell me what it meant but the more I thought about that, the more I realized it was probably something that couldn't be explained or something he would never share with me anyway.

"I don't actually know your address so you're going to have to direct me from here," I said to change the topic.

"It's real simple, just stay on this road a few miles longer. I'll tell you when to turn," Hyde interjected. "Anyway… I spilled enough already so now you have to tell me who your unrequited songs are always about."

I smiled at his eagerness to get back into our previous discussion. "No one in particular," I replied. "It's usually just general. It could be a female, a male, a friend… You see, I have yet to have met my equal in companionship."

"I thought you said _You-chan_ was your soulmate?" Hyde responded. My eyebrows probably reached my hairline at that point_. So Hyde had been paying more attention to my career than I thought…_

"He is, but that's different. I believe destiny and fate are leading me in a different path. But until that other person feels this, my love will be one-sided. Unrequited. _Kataomoi…_" Gackt finished.

"Turn here," Hyde said, pointing his arm forward. I made the turn slowly and Hyde gave me another direction to follow. "This is it," He said as I pulled the car to a stop. "Thank you, Gackt. Thank you for the shirt, and the ride, and the… conversation."

I smiled fondly and turned to face Hyde. "You're welcome, of course. And anytime – for any of it. My dry cleaner needs practice after all." I added a small laugh and Hyde laughed with me. He reached to the back of the car for his shirt and exited the car. This moment couldn't end yet. I opened the door also and walked behind Hyde to his door.

I watched him walk up the driveway when he turned around as he noticed me behind him. "Gacchan, you don't have to accompany me to my own home," Hyde said with a crooked grin.

"I'm just trying to be polite," I answered as Hyde opened his door and shifted awkwardly before turning to face me.

"Well… goodnight." Hyde quietly said as he stood in the large door frame looking up at me.

"I hope to hear from you again soon, Hyde." I quietly responded. In a manga or a movie this would be that moment where the chivalrous male leans in and gives his lover a kiss goodnight… But instead I gave a slight bow and went back to my car. I closed the door as I climbed in and inhaled deeply, still able to smell the faint scent that was distinctly Hyde and which my nostrils were now becoming familiar with. As I looked out toward his home I noticed he was still standing in the doorway just looking in my direction. Slowly I pulled out and turned the speaker volume back up as Hyde's vocals sung to me…"_Dearest Love, dakishimeteru…"  
_

* * *

Gacchan's "car" / spaceship is taken directly from Gackt's book **Jihaku** (meaning, "confessions"). Douzo- 

_If you were to describe in one word the car that I drive now, it would be "spaceship."_

_The first time Hyde (L'ArcenCiel) rode in my car, the first thing he said was: "What is this?"_

_I said, "A car," and he said "Gacchan, you're an alien."_

_Certainly, you can't find another car like this anywhere. If you take my feelings on it seriously, I even think that it might fly.Though it's a spaceship, the interior is not metallic, but rather has a "Hermes" feeling. It's not gorgeous, it's "Hermes."I think the interior goes ten years ahead. After all, I change it every 8 months or so.To me, my car is a moving office – no, a moving living space. I have been very thorough in picking it out._

* * *

Your reviews mean a lot to me and keep me writing. please let me know what you think, what you like/didn't... this story has not been mapped out entirely so it can go anywhere... i appreciate your views! 


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_This part gets a little fluffy at times. And I am continuing with the switching POVs for this chapter. Please let me know if there is one you prefer better or if you think the story would flow more easily in another style. I'm always up for suggestions, and thank you for reading!!_

_Hyde gets a visit from some old friends and they decide to go out on the town, where they run into Gackt._

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

**_I _**closed the door behind me, leaning on it and clutching my wrinkled, wine-stained shirt to my chest. I was feeling a little euphoric at the moment, unsure if it was Gackt's _Egoiste_ cologne that had lodged itself in my nostrils during the car ride over or if I was really just feeling genuinely happy from the evening I had.

Realizing that the real reason might be the latter made me a little nervous.

But as I remained in the dimly lit foyer, leaning on the door, eyes closed, and dare I say a _dreamy_ smile across my face, I was suddenly aware that I was not alone.

When I opened my eyes I saw none other than my wife Megumi, in her most classic pose; wearing a patented pout with a hand on her hip. She held the house phone in her other hand and was glaring at me with a confused and angered expression.

"Hey…Meg," I started, standing up straight and dropping my hand with the stained shirt at my side. Her eyes were drawn to it and narrowed as she noticed the large stain. "Who's on the phone?" I asked, slowly making my way down the long foyer's hall toward her.

"_Where_ have you been and _why_ is your shirt _ruined_?" she demanded, ignoring my question completely. I stopped in my tracks, tossing my shirt to the floor. She looked at it and then back up at me. I gestured to the phone she still held, eager for a reply on who was waiting on the other end. "Your agent is on the phone." She started and I'm sure that I visibly paled right in front of her. "He's wondering why you left the party so early..."

She held the phone out toward me, her pout tightening as she did so. I swallowed and took the receiver from her hands.

"H-hello?"

Instantly I heard my agent's voice billowing back at me – not because he was angry, moreso because he could barely hear, and I could barely understand him. He must have called me right from the location of the party because it was noisy and there was loud music blaring behind him. All I could make out is 'where are you?' and 'I hope you met with someone or other' and 'call me tomorrow morning, early'. I nodded and tried to respond in kind but already he was saying he'll see me later and hanging up.

I exhaled and turned the phone off.

And then realized I was still standing in front of an angry Megumi.

"Look I've had a long night, we can talk about it tomorrow," I started, walking down the hall with all intents of passing her by.

"Hideto," she scolded just as I brushed past. But I continued to walk. "Hideto, if you left the party early then _where_ have you been all this time?" I heard her voice following behind me and continued up the stairs. "And what the hell did you do to this shirt?" I turned my head back and saw her holding my discarded shirt, turning it around in her hands. As I reached the top of the stairs, I rounded the corner, leaving the phone on a table in the hallway. Megumi continued to ask me questions but finally I was nearing my room and entered it, starting to close the door just as she was approaching.

"Hideto…" she started with a sigh. I closed the door just enough that I could still see her face through the crack.

"I had to stop at Gackt's house for something dealing with his movie project after the party," I responded, hoping it would make her leave me alone. I looked down at the shirt she was holding. "I spilled some wine on my shirt at the party and thankfully had another one in the car to change into," I lied, thinking it best not to go into details about the long night at Gackt's house that she was unfamiliar with due to being out of town the past two days. "Is that all?"

She narrowed her eyes and bundled the shirt in her arms. "I thought you said this movie thing with Gackt wasn't going to be happening." I averted my eyes from hers. If I had just agreed to do a movie, I was going to have to tell her sooner or later, lest she find out more information from my management rather than directly from her husband. "I have to stop at the dry cleaners tomorrow so I'll drop this off while I'm there." she said with a sigh.

"Thanks," I said about to shut the door when she held out a hand to stop me.

"And Kitamura-san called while you were out. I told him you were at the party all night, since _I assumed _that you were," she said mockingly, "But he said it was fine if you called him back late. It sounded important."

"Wait, Ken-chan called the house?" I asked, pulling the door open a bit more. Megumi rolled her eyes before turning on her heel to leave. "Wonder why he didn't ring my cell if it was so important…" I mused to myself as I shut the door. I tossed my jacket on my bed and lifted open my laptop, letting it load as I discarded the rest of my clothing in favor of some comfortable pajamas and retrieved my cellphone.

I dialed Ken and padded back to the main bedroom as I listened to it ring on the other end.

"Moshi moshi!?" I heard from the other end, but it didn't sound like Ken's voice.

"Ken-chan is that you? It's hyde…"

"HYDE?" I heard back, as if it were the most incredulous thing. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it.

"Yea, um, this _is_ _Ken's _cell phone, right? Can I talk to him?" I started, sitting down on my bed and loading the _Hydeist _website.

"I don't know, can you? Ken's kind of pre-occupied at the moment." The voice answered back and I thought I heard laughter in the background.

"Look who ever the hell this is, stop playing games and give Ken back his phone!" I yelled in aggravation.

"Hyde. You weren't always this quick to anger, what happened?"

I paused my actions. I swallowed hard. I knew who the voice was now.

"S—Sakura-chan?"

* * *

-_Gackt POV_- 

**_T_**he day after Hyde agreed to the film, I had arranged a special meeting at the Shochiku studio lot for us to film a screen test. Hyde was feeling leery about his capabilities on screen and I figured the best way to give him confidence was by giving him the opportunity to prove to himself that he could do this.

He met me that morning, dressed casually in what seemed to be perfect attire for his laid-back vampire character Kei. After an exec showed us to the studio lot we could use, I explained a little about the scenario to Hyde.

"There is no script. Put yourself into the character – you know what he is like by now. Just act what you feel," I told him and Hyde gave me a nervous little nod as he stepped onto the bedroom set. It was dimly lit, fitting for me and the case given his character's vampire nature – the walls were red and there was a small bed in the corner, with an accompanying night stand, a fish tank on the other side, and a fake window covered with deep red curtains. Hyde wandered slowly onto the set, taking in his surroundings and sitting on the bed. He took a deep breath and sat back as the cameras lined up and started to film.

I gave him some time to get a sure feeling of himself and just watched as he sat up with a jolt from the bed as though awaking from a bad dream (_just as in the script it was described that Kei often had nightmares of his former mentor Luka's death_). I was impressed that he was already pulling ideas for his character from the storyline as he stood up from the bed and eyed the fish tank curiously before showing the camera some real angst as he played with the features on his face in the reflection in the mirror.

I couldn't handle having to watch such beauty in action from afar so I stepped into the set, adding some minor dialogue to get things going. I didn't quite feel like Sho, despite Hyde's great attempt at becoming his character Kei. Hyde went back to the bed and lied down so I decided to test his skills at keeping in character by pulling open the curtains on the window. Hyde immediately reacted vampirically by shielding his face and moving away from the light. I smiled at him and he called me a 'baka' before giving me the subtlest 'come hither' look from the bed. I walked over to it, wanting to sit on the bed with him and giving him the impression that I just might before I slid to the floor and lit up a cigarette.

We shared some more minor, unimportant dialogue together and then the camera men called 'cut' saying that they thought they got some really great footage of our interaction. Hyde nervously scratched his head as we fell out of character and I acquired the tape from one of the camera man as we went into a back room to watch what we just filmed.

I had a nervous excitement at seeing the intense chemistry I felt being displayed on a screen. It could be no more evident to me now that Hyde was ideal for this role and I was hoping he would see it too.

* * *

-_Hyde POV_-

**_F_**ilming the screen test with Gackt was astonishingly much easier and familiar than I thought it would be. I was able to fall into my character Kei quite naturally, much to my surprise, and much to Gackt's delight as we watched our interactions on screen.

Gackt had a knowing smile on his features as we reviewed the tape and although I was pretty impressed with myself, I was also now very aware of the intense chemistry hidden beneath it. At first I told myself it was because we were Sho and Kei, not ourselves, and that they have a strong bond so of course that would show. But we filmed it without script, without any pretense whatsoever – what I was watching was Gackt and I playing off of each other – this was _our _chemistry. It was immediately clear to me that there was something more serious going on between us – even the camera could pick up on it.

We couldn't stay at the studio very long, as the lot was needed for some semi-popular stars to film a dorama and Gackt had to run to band practice so we departed shortly after that, Gackt telling me he'd get me a copy of the tape for me to watch and review, and to feel more confident about myself.

It's not that I wasn't confident, I thought as I drove home. It's that what I was seeing on that screen – the, dare I say, 'intimate' connection between Gackt and I – that had me worried. There was no denying it now - something had started between us.

* * *

-_Gackt POV_-

_**T**_he music came to another screeching halt.

In frustration, You sighed loudly and sat down his violin on the chair behind him. "Gakkun, this is getting to be a nuisance. Not to mention it's very unlike you. What is wrong?"

I sighed and grabbed my water bottle, moving to the corner of the room to sit down. All the music, all this practice, all these lyrics… I should know this stuff, I love doing this. And yet ever since I practice this afternoon I couldn't seem to get anything right and now I couldn't even concentrate on my work. You followed me and sat very near to me on the corner couch, placing an arm around my back and giving a small squeeze.

"Gomen ne, You-kun," I apologized quietly. You looked over at the rest of the band members and waved a hand indicating for everyone to take it easy for a moment. All I could do was sigh loudly, causing You's attention to focus on me again so I leaned my face into my hands. "I have too much on my mind right now, I haven't been able to focus right."

"It sure appears that way. I even called you the other night and you never answered your phone; it had me worried. Tell me, what's wrong?" You pleaded. I had seen You's calls. He called me twice, leaving messages both times. And yet I couldn't seem to bring myself to answer it or call him back.

It was the strangest thing for me to not tell You-kun all the things going on in my life right now considering how close we have always been. But I didn't want You or any of the members of GacktJOB to be too involved with my personal life. While they were completely aware of my plans to go through with the movie project and my choice to have Hyde star in the film, the other things going on between Hyde and I, mainly my strong desire to have Hyde also star prominently in my love life, especially after the amazing success of our screen test this morning, I planned on keeping secret. But if my future advances toward Hyde weren't going to be returned, if this destiny I had been anticipating were never to be fulfilled… well I didn't want to have my band mates spend time occupied with my personal quest, as I could only see it causing more trouble than good in the end.

And You-kun, while I adored and trusted him more than anything, would probably react in jealousy, causing a strain in our relationship. Right now I needed him to help keep me sane.

I stood up, leaving You's one-armed embrace. He looked up at me with concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine, You-kun. Let's rework the song once more and then why don't you and I go out for a late dinner, ne?" I took his hands and helped him stand up. You flashed his brilliant smile.

"Ok. Come on guys, let's play through it once more," You said, picking up his violin and starting the intro as everyone else got ready to join in.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_**I**_ paced the hallway for what had to have been the 20th time or more. Why was today giving me such hassle? First the phone call with my agent turned out horribly, as he said I had no right to leave when I did, should have made more face time, and that he only received about seventeen calls and emails from prospective clientele wanting to book me for an event. _Only_ seventeen? Well gee, I'm so sorry that out of 200 elite invited guests, _half of them working artists and agents just like us_, **only seventeen** of them wanted me. I probably faired way better than any of the musicians there, including Tetsu. And then made a mental note to give him a call later.

Then there was the screen test with Gackt this morning - which went perfectly and scared the shit out of me at how amazingly we interacted with each other. I couldn't stop thinking about how casual and natural we looked around each other. And Gackt's disturbing words about Sho and Kei's_ intimate_ bond and connection was apparently transferred from our characters into our real lives. I couldn't shake the thoughts of it from my mind.

Still pacing the floor, I pulled out my cellphone to glance at the time. Finally, to relieve my feet of the pain of these new boots, and my carpet from the trench I was starting to wear, the doorbell rang and I raced to answer it.

"Ken-chan!" I exclaimed and Ken and all his shaggy hair leaned in to give me a hug.

"Hyde, you remember Sakura-chan…" Ken said, stepping into my home and revealing the still beautiful Sakura, just as he was finishing up a cigarette and tossing it into the bushes outside of my door. He looked at me and exhaled the pale grey smoke from his mouth, giving me a grin just as I was smiling back at him.

"Of course I remember…_Sakura-chan_," I said quietly, stepping forward and offering a hand. It had been so long that a hug didn't feel appropriate. Sakura looked down at my hand and made a face.

"C'mon Hideto, a hand-shake? That's all I get? It's not even Japanese, what is this?" He said in his usual joking tone before grabbing my hand and pulling me roughly into his embrace. _God, I missed this_.

**_H_**ours later the three of us were sprawled out in my living room, talking loudly and using boisterous gestures to explain silly stories as we continued to empty the contents of my liquor cabinet and share in on the years we've missed being around each other.

"So what are you up to now, Hyde? I see your new album –_yaaawn_– is selling well," Ken said, faking the yawn mid-sentence and causing me to throw the nearest pillow at him. Sure _Roentgen_ was a lot slower and more balladic than most would expect from the rockstar lead vocalist of L'Arc-en-Ciel but I didn't expect to endure so much grief from my bandmates about it. It was only fueling inspiration for my upcoming work.

"You know, I think one or two of those tunes sounded familiar to me," Sakura started, pouring himself another shot of vodka. "And I couldn't figure out why, but some days later it hit me. You totally wanted to use some of them for L'Arc songs, didn't you?"

I glanced over at him and held up my shot glass, indicating to fill mine up too. "How did you remember that? I wrote some of those songs back in 97." I held up the glass when he was done pouring and gave him a smile before bringing it to my lips.

"Hyde, I remember_ everything_ from back in '97…" Sakura replied quietly, his eyes baring into mine. I downed my vodka quickly. Thankfully Ken can't stand being quiet for too long-

"So what plans does everyone have for the summer?" he interjected.

Sakura turned to look at him. "What, don't you want to continue on with the band or something? Man, we should get ourselves invited to _BubbleFes_, that's something that would really help promote us!"

"I didn't mean you_ Sakubaka_," Ken said, punching Sakura in the arm and they both turned to look at me. My face felt warm but I was trying to blame it on all the alcohol I had consumed thus far.

"Yeah, what _are_ you doing this summer?" Sakura asked, leaning on the coffee table and grinning ever so slightly at me.

"Um, well I might be uh… well there are a lot of things in the works, I'm not quite sure what all-" I stuttered, both in nervousness of giving a real answer and partly due to the large consumption of Vodka I had in the past hour.

"Hey I have an idea!" Ken interrupted, again the situation boring him and having a great need to hear himself speak. "We should totally go downtown to that new bar-restaurant,"

"Right now?" I asked, thinking he must be delirious for suggesting we go out in our drunken stupor.

"Oh you mean the _Miyagi _Bar? I am so for that," Sakura said standing up and grabbing onto my arm to hoist me up as if he thought I'd want to join them. Ken jumped up into the air and started pushing me from behind.

"Wait-wait, guys! This is crazy!" I protested but I was too weary from the alcohol to fight back and already they were pushing me out of the living room and it wasn't until I was in the taxi and fumbling around to see if my wallet was in tact, that I realized I had no house keys.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

**_I_** led You through the crowd as we made our way back to the VIP section. I had wanted to try out this restaurant since it opened and knew there'd be no better person to experience it with than You.

"This place is really busy tonight," You started as I held a hand on his back so not to lose him through the crowd. I pointed off to the right and he went through the VIP door. It was a lot quieter back here and darker as well.

"Well the place just opened a week ago, You-kun," I started, seating myself next to him. A waiter came so we ordered something light along with a pot of sake. You folded his hands over his legs and looked around before settling his eyes on me and giving me an anxious look.

"What?" I asked, unable to stop smiling at his adorable expression.

"Tell me, Gakkun," You started, his expression suddenly serious. I looked down at my hands resting on the glass table, pondering on how to start telling You what I thought I was beginning to get myself involved in when the sake arrived, momentarily breaking our conversation. It was already warm so I poured a cup for You and myself and began to sip.

You looked up from his sake and into my eyes. "Tell me what it is that has you reacting like this. I've never seen you so flustered in studio before."

I was going to have to find a way to tell You about Hyde and hope that it wouldn't make him react negatively. But You had always been supportive of me, I was just going to have to trust that he would continue that way…

"Well You-kun. You recall my movie project?"

"Of course I do! Have you been in contact with any of your prospective cast members yet?" He said, leaning into me as he spoke. I had already told You I was saving a small part in the film just for him and a few other close friends of mine. You had shown nothing but sincere interest and supportiveness for this project. I took my sake in my hand, swirling around its last remaining contents and watching it whirl.

"Only just recently, yes. In fact, I think I may finally have my dream cast. Even, it's star…"

You's eyes widened and he sat up straight. He placed a hand on top of mine.

"You mean you were able to convince—um, Gakkun?"

I imagine that You had noticed my stark expression by his abrupt pause in speech. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him turn his head to see what was causing my reaction.

Then I stood up just as _he_ was entering the room.

"Hyde? What are you doing here?"

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

Ken and Sakura stood perfectly still in front of me, leaving just enough space between them that I was able to see Gackt suddenly stand up from a table in the back corner.

_No, what the hell is he doing here?!_ I inwardly cursed, thinking I should be outwardly cursing Ken and Sakura for deciding to take us here in the first place. But there was no time for any of that because already Gackt was crossing the room and leaving a very confused Ken and equally confused Sakura following his every move, slowly turning their bodies to watch as Gackt stood directly in front of me, a smile forming across his face.

"You know Gackt?" Ken blurted and I saw Sakura's eyes narrow conspicuously.

"Hyde, what a fantastic surprise," Gackt quietly started. My eyes were strangely drawn to the table he came from, recognizing, even in my drunken state, the figure as the one and only violinist of GacktJOB, You. And he did not look pleased. "I never thought I'd have such luck to run into you here of all places." Gackt continued.

"Ken Kitamura," Ken suddenly interjected, shoving his hand in between us to shake with Gackt. Sakura gave Ken a glare at the Westernized expression he disliked so much.

"You're a wonderful guitarist," Gackt replied, offering his hand to Ken with a smile. They shook and I almost think Ken blushed. What was this strange emotion filling me all of a sudden? Surely it had to be the alcohol making my blood course warmly through my body. But as Gackt focused on Ken and they exchanged kind words, I couldn't help but feel neglected and suddenly wanting to have Gackt's interest back to me.

"_Gacchan_," I cooed, instantly forcing his – and everyone else's – attention on me. _Good god, just how much Vodka had we drank back at my house for me to be reacting this way?!_ I had told myself I would _never_ use that name unless I was alone with him and here I was flaunting it in front of mine and his closest friends. But it caused Gackt to smile even more fondly at me and I loved that he was looking into my eyes again.

"What the _hell_ did you just call him?" Sakura loudly questioned, interrupting our tender moment. Sakura poked me in the arm, his pointed finger jarring my flesh just hard enough that it actually hurt and was the only cause of my eyes leaving Gackt's faux baby blues.

"Apparently you've known Gackt for a while…" Ken supplied, mumbling out of the corner of his mouth.

"Actually, quite the contrary," Gackt confessed, and I winced at what my friends would think of what he was going to say next. "I've only been acquainted with Hyde a mere few weeks, yet in that time I'd say we're becoming fairly knowledgeable about each other. Actually, he invented that nickname for me while he was quite drunk on brandy and lying in-"

"Oh!" I loudly (_and moreso than usual, due to the alcohol consumption_) interrupted, fearful of the next words to leave Gackt's mouth and the situation it would have me end up in. "Is that You, your violinist sitting back there?" I pointed past Gackt, causing Ken and Sakura to glance to the back at the skinny looking angry man slouched over some sake at a table in the corner. Gackt's eyes went wide as though he forgot something and then he turned around as well.

"How rude of me for not introducing everyone!" Gackt apologized, quickly heading to his table and lifting a reluctant You from his seat to join our little meet and greet.

You did not look pleased. As I studied his facial expression closely, he didn't look like he was hungry waiting for food, or upset at Gackt for jumping from the table… but he was _glaring_ at _me_. I couldn't figure out why this talented violinist would have anything against me; he didn't even know me.

But as Gackt's voice, fogged to my ears when I became lost while studying You, started to resound more clearly to my brain as he went on about destiny or something, Gackt moved to my side suddenly, draping an arm around me and it was then I noticed the slightest bit of eye widening, nostril flaring, and vein popping on You's neck.

Gackt pulled me a little closer and said something that I missed but apparently no one else had, due to their wide-eyed shocked expressions. _Oh shit, what did Gackt just say?_ I looked up at him and he was wearing a smirk of satisfaction.

"I just remembered I told Cha Cha I would stop by his house this evening," You suddenly interrupted, heading back to the table to dab his mouth politely on his napkin and then brushing past us.

"You-kun?" Gackt called out, his arm quickly falling off of me as he turned to watch You make his way to the door exit.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the studio," You coldly said, without so much as a wave before pushing through the VIP door and out of our view. I looked up at Gackt who was shaking his head.

"Mind if we finish the rest of this sake, _Gacchan_?" Ken said, sweetening the nickname on purpose and earning a full-on death glare from me. But Gackt didn't seem to hear him and Ken didn't seem to care either, already downing a cup full of the warm drink. Sakura had pulled out a cigarette and lit up, purposely blowing his first smoke in my and Gackt's direction, interrupting the awkward moment.

"I'm sorry, Hyde," Gackt apologized, turning to face me. "I don't know why You reacted in such a jealous manner."

"Jealous?" Sakura butted in, causing Gackt to look over at him. "What the hell would he have to be jealous about?" he questioned, approaching Gackt closely, the cigarette dangling from his mouth as his eyes narrowed and he turned to stare down at me.

I have to say that if anyone was acting in a jealous fashion, it was Sakura, in the sense that he didn't like having to share our time out dealing with this tall, blue-eyed intruder. Ever since we encountered Gackt, he'd been giving short quips and speaking rudely toward him. Perhaps it was the Vodka; I know how Sakura can be short-tempered when drunk. But I get like that too and I was beginning to lose my cool with the way he was treating Gackt.

"I'm not sure. I just told him that Hyde signed on to do my movie project and he's always been supportive of that before…"

"Movie project?" Sakura lifted his arm and leaned it on my shoulder, pushing his full body weight onto me as he did so. He looked down at me. "You're quitting the music biz to be an actor now?"

"No!" I shouted, pushing his arm off of me. Sakura blew more smoke in my face and I brushed it away with a hand. "I'm not leaving my music for anything."

"Actually, Hyde and I are going to collaborate to write a song for the film," Gackt filled in and I could have kicked him right at that moment.

"Is that so…" Sakura said, blowing his smoke in Gackt's face this time as he closed in. "You know, the last time I saw you and you had all those questions about what it was like to work with Hyde, I thought you were just trying to make small talk or piss me off or something. But if I had any idea you were planning on dragging Hideto into some goddamn movie, I would have kicked your ass right then and there."

"Sakura-chan!" I scolded him, surprised at what he was saying about Gackt inquiring him for information on me (_was it true_?) and worried that he was trying to start a fight.

"Sakurazawa, I've only ever shown the utmost respect to you and your work," Gackt began, using the kindest tone in his voice to soften the situation. "I don't understand why his decision to make a movie should be such a big deal to you. Hyde agreed to this on his own accord. I haven't forced him into anything," Gackt explained and I tried to keep my scoffs to myself.

Sakura turned to look at me. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier, Hyde?"

"It's just too early. I haven't even signed anything yet," I quietly spoke.

"That's true," Gackt stepped in, looking at me with a small smile and placing his hand on my shoulder. "It literally just happened last night when Hyde was over at my house and agreed verbally,"

"Yea, I'm sure he did," Sakura said under his breath, glaring at me as he tossed his finished cigarette to the ground, stomping his boot down hard to put it out. "C'mon Ken, we're getting out of here," he yelled to the back table at Ken who was slurping up the last of the sake and bounced over to our side.

"Nice meeting you, Gackt," Ken said, again offering his hand but shoving it in the wrong direction in his drunken state. Sakura smacked Ken's hand down and gave me one last glare at me before he grabbed Ken's arm and left. "See ya Hyde!" Ken yelled out as they brushed through the door.

"Oh my god," I muttered and then I felt Gackt's hand tighten on my shoulder. I looked up at him and he was wearing an expression that I couldn't quite place. "Gacchan… I'm sorry. My friends, they--"

"Are wonderful, just like you Hyde," Gackt said, his expression still stoic and focused on the door. "Making the leap to acting is something not everyone can deal with, I've experienced these reactions from many others already,"

"No," I said, pulling out of his grasp to forwardly face him. "Sakura had no right to be treating you that way," I gestured my hand toward the door he recently left through, feeling slightly wobbly as I did so. "It's my choice to do the movie! Why was he getting mad at you?! He doesn't even know you…" My head was feeling light as I yelled in frustration.

"Actually I have already been acquainted with Sakurazawa, Hyde, have you forgotten? We have a mutual friend," Gackt concluded.

I think I tipped slightly but my feet reacted fast and caught me before I toppled over. "So… those things he was saying… you asking him about working with me, that was… true?" I felt unbalanced again and tried to concentrate my eyes on a chosen focal point; Gackt's lips.

"Yes it is. I figured that was an opportunity to get real insight on what it would be like if I chose to pursue having you in my film project. Who better than one of your closest friends, former or not, right?"

I didn't hear what Gackt replied, just saw his moist, plump lips moving back and forth. Then my vision blurred and I felt myself falling forward.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**I**_ would be lying if I didn't say that one of the most pleasant and sweetest images in my lifetime has to be watching Hyde sleep. His eyelids closed, gentle long lashes brushing his slightly pink-hued cheeks, a stray bleached hair or two hanging over his face, just brushing past his small little nose which sat perfectly aligned above his slightly parted lips. As I sat in the booth watching him rest, another loose hair slipped from his slicked back locks, swaying down across his face to brush his cheek and land just short of his lips. I traced the hair's action with my finger, dragging it from Hyde's ear along his cheek and pausing just before I reached his mouth. How precious he looked as he lay there, unaware to the rest of the cruel world.

"Excuse me Sir, would you like me to box your desert?" A waitress interrupted me and I turned to face her. She blinked quickly as I smiled at her and I wondered if she had recognized who I was and who Hyde was and was wondering what she had just witnessed.

"That won't be necessary, thank you," I said, sliding a large yen across the table toward her. Her eyes widened as she recognized the amount of the bill and put it in her pocket, bowed deeply, cleared my plates, and left. Hopefully if she did recognize us, that would keep her quiet.

Since You and I had ordered a meal and now I was left alone with Hyde and still hungry, I had decided to share the meal with him. Unfortunately only moments before the food arrived, Hyde had passed out in what I could only assume to be a drunken condition, due to the amount of Vodka I could smell on him and his friends who had stormed out prior to this happening.

I was now left with a satisfied stomach but a dead-to-the-world rockstar at my side and the dilemma of getting him back to his home. I hadn't wanted to wake him so I gently slid out of the booth and took his small, limp body into my arms. I called Joe to have him round the limo to the back and have the door ready to take me and my guest. Thankfully VIP sections always have a back door made just for these situations – well, maybe not this particular situation.

As I exited the back door cautiously, trying not to disturb Hyde, though I don't think he would have woken to much anything at this point due to the drool slowly exiting his mouth, Joe gave me a strange glance while I carefully placed Hyde in the limo.

"Boss," Joe started, touching the end of his dark sunglasses that weren't needed at this time of night. "Just letting you know that You-san had called me earlier to come pick him up and I didn't ask any questions but now I must admit to being somewhat curious at what is going on…"

I put a hand on Joe. "I can explain later. For now, just get us home please," I said, climbing into the backseat beside Hyde's sleeping form. Joe nodded and made his way to the driver seat. As I sat quietly in the back, my hand resting on Hyde's leg as he lay, I decided I would drive Hyde to his home once I had a chance to wake and sober him up a bit. A cellphone started to buzz, interrupting my thoughts.

I knew it couldn't be my own so I figured it must be Hyde's and tried to ignore it. But it kept going off and I realized it could have been important so I began to search his person. Thankfully Hyde was in a deep slumber and therefore not phased in the slightest as I reached roughly into his jacket pockets fishing for a phone to stop the incessant buzzing. Well. It must be in his pants.

Calming my nerves and steadying my hands, I took a deep breath and slowly reached down into his front pant pocket, my eyes never leaving Hyde's sleeping face as I did so. My fingers felt something so my hand retreated, only to realize what I had grabbed wasn't a cell phone but an audio recorder. I quickly put it back and then I heard a buzz again.

_It must be in his other pocket, the one in the side that he's laying on_. Gingerly I moved my body so that I was now suspended directly over Hyde and snaked my hand down to his other pocket, my tongue raking across my teeth in determination to somehow get my fingers into his pocket and find his cellphone without him waking. The way he was lying it was proving to be difficult so instead I decided on trying to turn his body just enough that I could reach my hand in successfully. Slowly, I moved Hyde's body, forcing him onto his back as I continued to hover on top of him. _Finally, now I could get that blasted buzzing little machine_, I thought, reaching my hand into his pocket. Just as my fingers connected with his phone, I darted my eyesight back to his face and made contact with a pair of wide eyes.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_…Oh… My…God…_

This had to be some bad dream, some strange nightmare… I can't actually be awake right now, or if I am then I've accidentally flipped the big-screen television channel to some raunchy late night movie and the actor I'm seeing just bears a strangely striking similarity to Gackt.

Because if I were really awake then why don't I recognize where I am? Why am I lying stiffly on my back, yet still feel like I'm moving? And for God's sake, why is Gackt hovering over me like that and why does it feel like someone's hand is in my pocket?

Then, the sharp hand of sobriety smacked me square in the jaw.

"AAAHHH!!" was about the only sound I could muster before Gackt's hand was covering my mouth. He stared at me wide-eyed and I ignored my first thought to chomp down on his hand and demand what the hell was going on.

The warm feeling in my pocket quickly disappeared and I saw Gackt's hand move away from my body to place a finger on his lips in telling me to keep quiet._ Oh dear God don't tell me his hand was…._

I wrestled with my weak body to sit up, pushing Gackt's hand and hovering form away from me in the process.

"Hyde, try to relax. You fainted in the restaurant," Gackt hurriedly spoke.

"WHAT?" I shrieked.

But Gackt shushed me again and I began to dart my eyes around, twisting my head in attempt to get some answers. "Where the hell am I? What's going on? WHY WAS YOUR HAND IN MY POCKET?"

Gackt blushed and forced a small chuckle. "We're in my limo. I'm taking you home because your friends left you drunk at the Miyagi where you then passed out. And I was trying to get your cell phone which hasn't stopped buzzing for the past three minutes."

I swallowed and reached into my pocket for my phone, seeing lit up on the display one missed call from Ken and three missed calls from Megumi. _Shit_.

"I'm sorry but I felt it was my duty to take care of you, considering. And I was only going after your phone in case it was something important. Forgive me," Gackt said and bowed his head.

I couldn't stay mad at him now. For all I know, Sakura and Ken would have left me at the bar, probably in a drunken and drooling state of sleep, and they'd be laughing about how the restaurant's management would get a kick out of taking pictures on their cell phones of the infamous Hyde of L'Arc-en-Ciel passed out at the newest bar and the news would leak into the gossip magazines and my solo career would be shattered… Yes, I could actually see them doing that.

But not Gackt. Gackt would never leave me in such a situation and rather probably had to deal with carrying my heavy, drooling, slumbering form into his limo in a state of embarrassment. How stupid I felt for yelling at him.

"I'm sorry Gacchan." I said with a long sigh. "Why are you so good to me?" I looked up at him with a little laugh. He simply smiled back and settled comfortably into his seat. I glanced at my phone again, realizing that Megumi was probably pissed and considered checking my messages but didn't want to damper my mood any. I still had a headache and my outburst of yelling probably didn't help that any.

Just then we were pulling up to what was now becoming a familiar location to me and Gackt opened the door as I stepped out of his limo and followed him to the entrance of his house. As I looked back at the limo-driver taking off I wondered why I hadn't asked Gackt to just drop me off at my own home. Probably because the idea of having Megumi bitch at me the second I entered the door was only increasing my headache even just thinking about it.

Gackt opened the door and made way for me to walk in ahead of him but I paused at the doorway. Not only was it dark as usual, but I was technically still drunk and had little doubt I'd make it more than five steps in without having Gackt lead me around.

As if on cue, Gackt made his way to my side, wrapping his arm around mine and walking me slowly through his home and into my _favorite_ room--I mean, thelivingroom I had grown to know so well. He sat me down gently on the open futon and told me to wait. I closed my eyes, the room still spinning beneath my eyelids as the headache pounded away at my skull.

What a night. It had started off well enough; Ken, Sakura, old stories and good ol' fashioned Vodka chugging. Just like the old days. It wasn't until Ken decided that some bar-hopping was in order that everything went downhill. I shouldn't have let them lead me away, but how was I to know that of all people and of all the bar-restaurants in Tokyo, that Gackt would happen to be at the one we ended up in. Not only that, but his jealous violinist and my jealous ex-drummer crossed paths at the sight of what they thought might possibly be going on between Gackt and me.

But what was going on between us? I didn't even know at this point. As if my mind wasn't already swirling enough, I began to recalculate all the events between us in the past week; from our first talkative dinner, to visiting him at his house, my drunken statements and waking up in this futon with Gackt at my side…Then the sensual shirt removing, and then the subsequent stain on said shirt and accidentally landing on top of him in this futon… then our eye-opening conversational drive home and now the unexpected run-in at the bar, causing fights between our friends and me passing out only to wind up on this futon once more.

Somehow I always ended up on this futon with Gackt near me, or under me or right next to me handing me two aspirin and a bottle of water.

"Take this, it will make you feel better in the morning, I promise," Gackt said, sitting very close to me on the futon and administering my actions as I swallowed the pills and took a long gulp of cool, crisp, _Volvic_ water, which I imagine Gackt probably had cases of sitting in some back room somewhere.

He brushed back the stray hairs hanging in my face as I took another sip of the water and willed the pounding of this god-awful headache to just go away. I had no idea what time it was and I just didn't care either. With a groan I leaned my body to the side, sprawling myself onto the opened futon and closing my eyes. I felt Gackt take the water bottle from my hands and move away from me. When I peeked open my eyes, he was kneeling near the futon, looking at my face.

"Hyde, do you want me to take you home?" He asked, his hand reaching up to my face again and stroking gently. "You should really get some rest,"

"I am getting rest," I slurred, my eyes falling shut as his hand gently brushed the side of my face. His fingers were cool and it felt good.

"Don't get me wrong, you are more than welcome to stay here if you like. I just worry about your wife--"

"Screw her," I muttered. "She's heading out of town again tomorrow anyway; I doubt she's even awake right now. And I have no house keys to let myself in," I sighed and rolled onto my back, a hand clutching at my stomach.

Gackt must have noticed this because he placed his hand on top of mine and asked had I eaten recently. I couldn't remember if I did and when I tried to think back, I realized that I hadn't ate anything since breakfast.

"I will get you something little to munch on so you don't get sick," Gackt said and his hand brushed my face again before he disappeared.

I couldn't figure out why it always ended up that Gackt was catering to me in some form or another; Helping me when I tripped, supplying me with food and drink when I required it, offering me a place to shower, clothing to change into, a drive home, a bed to sleep on… It seemed that his generosity went on forever so I couldn't allow myself to hate him in any shape or form. I started wondering if maybe working on the movie would be a good idea in the end. It would show to the fans that two of the biggest rockstars in Japan can get along, no matter what the critics may say about us separately. It would prove to the industry that I had what it took to keep a successful music career and act in what would probably end up being a money-maker of a film, due solely to our names being attached to the credits. And it would give me a chance to prove to my friends and band mates that I could do whatever the hell I wanted and be good at it.

But mostly, it would give me more opportunities to be in the kind company of Gackt, who I was starting to become fonder of as time went on, and not just for all the things he was offering to do for me, although I was quite enjoying the pampering wholeheartedly.

Gackt returned shortly, a plate of toast in his hands as he knelt beside the futon again, holding up a small piece for me to eat. I propped my head up and took it from him as he broke off another to hand to me after I finished the first. Somehow, quiet moments like these made me realize what a true friend Gackt was becoming in my life.

My mind drifted back to Ken and Sakura and the horrible night and how if we never ran into Gackt tonight, I would probably be at home right now tossing my cookies into the nearest sink, or toilet, or trash can, depending on how fast I could run in my sordid state. But already my stomach pangs were decreasing as Gackt continued to feed me toast and nurse me with water and when the plate was naught but crumbs, he doused what dim lights remained lit and joined me on the futon. The only light now was the faint candles from the glass bath room in the distance and the hint of moonlight streaming in from the windows behind us.

"Gacchan," I started, taking another sip of water to clean my palette. He turned his head to look at me and even in the darkness, I could see how tired he looked. I suddenly felt guilty for taking advantage of all his matronly-like services on my sorry drunken ass. "I don't think I have enough words to really thank you for this. For all of this, I mean, everything you've done for me since I met you,"

I hoped I wasn't coming off corny or slurring too much that he thought my sentiments weren't carefully thought out.

"No need to thank me, Hyde. I enjoy doing things for you," he responded, kind as ever and again if it weren't for how bighearted he was, I would want to hate him for somehow maintaining such a calm and caring demeanor in every situation.

"But I feel like I have to," I said, twisting my body to face him as I slumped down, my head resting on the pillow now. "There has to be something I can do for you," I replied, instantly biting my tongue at what such a statement might possibly imply. Gackt shifted his body as well so he was lying beside me. I swallowed as his blue eyes smiled at me and bore right into my soul.

"You already have, Hyde," he said, cooing my name at the end of his sentence. "You've agreed to be in my movie and that brings me the utmost joy. You really haven't any idea just how happy it makes me."

"Oh, I might have an inclination…" I teased with a grin causing a small blush to dance across Gackt's cheeks. I then noticed just how becoming it was on his features.

"I should leave you to your rest," he said, slowly sitting up as he started to move off the futon.

"Wait--" My hand reached out of its own accord, gripping onto the fabric of Gackt's sleeve. Gackt turned to face me, his blush still evident. I think I might have been blushing too because my face suddenly felt hot. _What am I doing?_ I thought. Gackt stared at me in anticipation of what was coming next but my tongue was tied up in my mouth. I didn't even know what I was planning on saying or doing or why I reached out for him in the first place.

But the thought of Gackt leaving me alone in the bed right now when I wanted nothing more than to lie here and talk for endless hours, or at least until the pills took effect, was disheartening. I searched his eyes and I could still see that tiredness resting behind the colored contacts. It'd be cruel of me to ask more of him when he'd already done enough for me and was in need of rest. I let go of his sleeve.

"Nothing, sorry," I said, recoiling my hand and staring into the dead space of the wall on the far end of the room. But the cushion shifted beneath me and soon Gackt's face was obstructing my otherwise boring view as he lay down beside me once more. He smiled tenderly.

"Of course I will," Gackt quietly said to me.

"What?"

"Stay with you," he finished, closing his eyes.

"You don't--"

"Go to sleep, Hyde," He whispered. I looked at his face a little while longer as he lie perfectly still beside me. Soon my own eyelids grew heavy and I succumbed to the sleep long-awaiting to claim my body.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

**_I_**t is without doubt that Hyde is a perfect angel when he is asleep. Already I'd been granted with this vision earlier in the evening and now here it was beside me, once again in my futon, which I was starting to think of as _'our bed'_, given the three beautiful opportunities I'd been granted to share with Hyde in this spot since a mere few days ago.

I was certain that by now that his system had shut down for the evening so I cautiously removed myself from the futon and went to the far end of the room, retrieving my cell phone as I walked toward my piano room.

I hit the #1 key for speed-dial and waited as the other end rang and I was brought to voice-mail.

"You-kun, it's Gakkun. I'm terribly sorry about what happened tonight, I hope you can forgive any mishaps that may have occurred. I'm unsure of your reaction and never would have wanted you to storm off the way you have. Please if you're awake, give me a call back. Oh and I might be late to the studio tomorrow morning so please get started without me."

I flipped the phone shut and sighed, setting myself at the piano bench and plunking out some random notes with my right hand. Before I could get too far into the piece, my phone was ringing and You's name flashed on the display.

"You-kun…" I started.

"Gakkun…" he replied.

"I apologize for calling so late. I had to deal with a few things but I figured you might still be awa-"

"Like what?" You accused.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, spinning around on the piano bench to keep my hands from drifting across the ivories unintentionally.

"What '_things_' did you have to deal with, Gackt? Hyde and his rambunctious drunken buddies? What was going on tonight?" You accused. I knew he was angered because he almost never called me 'Gackt' unless he was upset with me.

"You-kun, I can explain. I wasn't expecting to see Hyde and his friends this evening; that was purely chance--"

"Chance?" You spit out. "It was rude, that's what it was! They stomped in and the moment they arrived you left me to join their side and didn't even include me! It was as if I didn't exist!"

"No, that's not it at all. When I saw Hyde--"

"He blinked his big goo-goo eyes and you rushed to his side. I know; I saw it all happen, Gackt, remember?" You bit at me. "What is going on between you two?"

"You-kun, I haven't any idea why you're acting so jealous," I tried to reason.

"Jealous? I'm not jealous!" You sounded as if he were pouting on the other end. "I'm just upset that you would get involved in a relationship and not tell me about it."

"I'm not in _that kind_ of relationship with Hyde, I--"

"Save it for the tabloids, Gackt. I saw the way he looked at you and the way you acted around him. You can't hide something like that. All I want to know is if he's the reason for causing our practice sessions to suffer recently, then you need to get out of this because it's only hurting your career. Besides, I don't approve of his friends, so I don't see how you possibly could, and I don't think it's very smart business practices. If the two of you are working on a film, then work on the film and keep your private feelings out of it. It's only spelling disaster."

And with that, he hung up.

I tried to reason that You-kun was only saying these things for my own well-being and yet I couldn't let the fact that he was able to notice the way Hyde and I reacted around each other leave my mind so easily. Not only did this mean that it was evident to those around me just how I was feeling about Hyde, but it was a glaring signal that Hyde's feelings toward me weren't something my love-sick mind was conjuring up either. There _was _something real going on between us.

I began to pad back to the living room, peeking my head in to see Hyde still in a peaceful slumber. Part of me wanted to join him but the rational side of my brain said it would be best if I stayed away. I began to wonder if we were going to face another awkward morning like the last time. More so, I wondered how I was going to gently get him out of my house and to the studio in time tomorrow morning. Not wanting to dote on the thought, I made my way back to the piano room and began to play some more until my fingers grew tired and I eventually retreated to my bedroom.

_**I**_n the morning just as the sun's rays were gracing the earth I rose from my bed, went through my workout routine and showered, just as usual. I alerted the cooks to prepare a larger sized breakfast and made my way down to the living space where Hyde still slept. I was due in at the studio in 2 hours but dealing with rush hour traffic and getting Hyde awoken and safely home was not going to see to that. I recalled making mention of this on You's voicemail the night before, but figured I should probably call in and alert another member of GacktJOB that I was going to be tardy.

Just as I was about to flip the phone shut, it rang and I saw my manager's name across the display. He told me that he had drawn up the movie contracts to be signed and sent them out to all the cast mates, save for Hyde, whose address they didn't have. I told them I would add it to my list of errands today to drop by and pick it up, as I was seeing to personally hand-deliver it to Hyde myself. This was the next big step – once Hyde received this paper, his management would become involved in the project as well and things would really start to make way. I inhaled in anxious excitement of a dream becoming a reality.

My other dream was not just to have the opportunity to work with Hyde, but to become more than just his friend. That reality didn't seem so far out of reach either, I thought, as I knelt down beside his sleeping form on the futon. Last night he'd willingly invited himself to stay over at my place and nearly pleaded with me to stay with him through the night, which I wanted to take as a sign to something developing beyond our friendship. I reached out, gently stroking the side of his face in an attempt to calmly wake him from his peaceful slumber. He stirred slightly and a small smile began to upturn his lips.

I pushed back some of the hairs covering his angelic face and cupped his chin, staring intently at all his features in this blessed moment I was given to be so close and openly observe him as much as I wanted. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and he looked at me wearily through blurry eyes.

"Ohayo," I quietly said, resting my chin on the side of the futon as I gave him a smile.

"_Gacchan_…" his groggy voice quietly called out to me. And how delightful it was. I decided right then and there that I'd give anything to experience this every morning of my life.

* * *

_Ok that was too much fluff for my likings, but it seemed to fit ; Next chapter will be better I swear! I started to involve lots of other characters now, hopefully to keep the story more realistic and add some interesting twists into the plot. Thanks for the reviews!!_


	5. Chapter 4 ' signed, sealed, delivered

**Chapter 4**

_Still switching POVs since people seem to enjoy it. I hope it's been easy to follow._

_Now that Hyde has verbally agreed to star in the movie, Gackt comes over to his house to get him to sign the contract. But the business talk doesn't last long . . .  
_

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_** A**_s I sat on the couch in my baggy trousers and comfy sweatshirt, feet propped up on Megumi's favorite and most prized coffee table (_which if she ever saw me sitting like this she'd have my legs chopped off for such a__ horrendous__ action__ on her furniture_), nursing my fourth or fifth bottle of water, my mind was yet again trying to work out the details of the previous night.

I'd basically spent my entire morning like this – getting a new bottle of water whenever I finished the last, watching a new dorama start on every hour, hitting the restroom every 15 minutes to empty my bladder, and spending every second trying to recall what happened the night before.

Unfortunately the only thing crystal clear in my mind was that I started the night with Ken and Sakura and ended it the morning after at Gackt's house.

The idea of what could have possibly happened between that time worried me more than I thought possible, as I chewed on my lip staring blankly at Oguri Shun wailing from my television screen.

After rubbing my eyes countless times to shake the view of Gackt's face first thing in the morning, I figured my mind was playing tricks on me and could now only faintly recall riding in his car, having him walk me to my door (_again_) and then standing tiredly on the porch as Gackt made a call to my housekeeper who had to come and let me into my own home, since I had apparently misplaced my keys.

After Gackt left I found those bastard keys sitting on the table in the hallway near the coat rack, along with a temperamental note from Megumi inquiring about the sullied state of our living room. Carrying her note in my hand, I tried not to crumple it as I was brought face-to-face with the disaster that once was my living room, now looking like a bloody tsunami made its way through it. There were emptied liquor bottles everywhere, dirt trod on the carpets, furniture out of place, pillows everywhere, and a set of cleaning supplies near the entrance where Megumi had specifically instructed me to '_clean your damn mess up'_.

I was in no state to do that however so rather I padded to my room, changed into something comfortable and on my way to the lounge, grabbed a bottle of water to nurse my hangover as I watched dorama after dorama unfold, trying my best to disregard how much of myself and my situations I was noticing in each storyline.

As the day went on little tidbits of what happened the night prior would enter my mind and then disappear as soon as they came. I was able to conjure that at some point during the night, Ken and Sakura had decided, without my approval, that we were going to hit a bar while already stupidly drunk. This is where I forgot my keys in lieu of a taxi which took us to some hotspot where apparently I ran into Gackt.

I remember everyone fighting at the bar and a fleeting moment about being in an awkward situation riding in Gackt's limo, but other than that I couldn't figure out any other sensical reason that I ended up at Gackt's place.

Yet my brain was still trying desperately to piece together why I left my friends and woke up on a familiar leather futon in a familiar dark and rose-scented home with a familiar face staring back at me. For a moment my mind lingered on the thought and how well I was becoming acquainted with Gackt's facial features when my cell phone began to ring, startling me out of my trance.

Those stupid hearts dancing around my display screen told me it was Gackt (_and god help me that I couldn't figure out how he got them there in the first place and more importantly, how to remove them_).

"Moshi moshi," I answered formally, even though I was fully aware who was on the line.

"Hyde, daijoubu? I was just calling to check up on you," He sweetly asked.

I decided that rather than waste the rest of my day watching the trials and temptations of Oguri Shun's obviously dramatic life, I should just come out and ask Gackt to explain some things to me.

"Gacchan, I'm so glad you called…"

* * *

-_Gackt POV_- 

_** "O**_h Hyde, really? Are you doing well?" I asked into my phone, my eyes looking out over my band mates as they set down their instruments and stretched their limbs. You sat on his chair, arms crossed over his chest, and stared at me as I spoke. I was in the recording booth, away from the rest of my group with the door shut but the way You-kun was watching me through the glass was enough to indicate that he knew just who I was talking to.

"I am, sort of… I guess." Hyde replied, sounding unsure of his own health. As he stuttered, I pulled out my ear pieces from band practice and let them hang around my neck, swirling a finger gently in my free ear, trying to force away the hollow-sound I always experienced after practicing while wearing them. "I drank enough water to make my teeth float but otherwise I think the hangover's gone now," Hyde responded with a small laugh.

"That's great to hear," I responded, switching my cell to speaker phone to alleviate my other ear. I sat it down on a free spot among the sound board and was about to tell him that I had his contract drawn up and ask about when I could bring it over when he interrupted me with-

"Gacchan, what happened last night?"

My face fell serious. "What do you mean Hyde?"

"I… don't remember everything that happened," he stuttered. I moved my arms to lean on the table, neglecting to avoid all the switches and buttons littered among the board as I pulled at my irritated ears.

"Hyde, you passed out so I took you back to my place," I started. I noticed You's head shoot up and look at me through the glass. It was an odd reaction, as if he suddenly recalled he left the iron on or something. I looked down at my phone as I twiddled one of my earrings. "You woke up while we were in the limo because you caught me on top of you reaching into your pants," I said with a laugh in light of the situation which was thankfully quickly resolved once Hyde realized what I was doing. As I looked ahead, You-kun continued to glare at me through the glass and my other band members were now looking over at me as well.

"Yeah… I sort of remember the limo ride part," Hyde hastily spoke. "But after that, everything is a blur…"

Ju-ken's eyes narrowed as he looked at me so I smiled and held up two fingers indicating we could come back from break in about 2 minutes. Then he, Ryu and ChaCha looked at each other strangely while You seemed to be silently fuming.

"Listen Hyde, this isn't a very good time to get into such a discussion. I'm in the middle of practice," I apologized. "But I'll be dropping by your place later to drop off the movie contract, if that's okay?"

"Please, I could use the company. I'm boring myself to tears watching doramas and avoiding house-cleaning. And it's eerily quiet around here with my wife being out of town," he replied. Ryu started banging the drums as he watched me through the glass.

"Great, I can't wait to see you. And then we can talk as much about last night as you want," I finished, trying not to sound so coquettish at the mention of '_last night_'.

"Give me a call when you're on your way over, _ne_?" Hyde cutely ended and then hung up. I grinned and shut my phone, looking back out through the glass to where my band mates where staring at me with the strangest expressions. As I left the room I couldn't help but laugh at them.

"JOB-tachi, what's with the weird faces?" I said with a chuckle, placing the ear pieces back into my ears as I moved in behind the microphone. "And You-kun, what's wrong?"

Everyone else had their instruments up and ready but You continued to sit with his arms over his chest and a pout on his mouth. As I called him out, he stubbornly stood up, taking his violin and putting it into place under his neck. I knew he couldn't possibly still be angry at me from the night before because he was fine with me this morning and most of the afternoon. His sudden mood swing was making me uncomfortable. Ju-ken began to warm up and soon ChaCha and Ryu joined in.

"Not _that kind_ of relationship, _ne_?" You spat quietly at me, playing a twitteringly difficult string of notes along his violin.

"What are you talking about?" I whispered back in confusion.

Just then we heard voices loudly chatting about the '_disgusting chicken patties from Shoku-gan'_ and how '_Reike was about to go all the way'_, causing everyone's heads to look over to the recording room where our team of sound engineers had just returned from lunch. I heard You play another line on his violin and as I turned back to face the band, they were all staring at me with knowing expressions while You gave me a violent glare.

I pulled one of the ear pieces out and walked over to the glass as the guys continued to talk. Somehow, I heard every single word they were saying. I tapped loudly on the glass.

"Excuse me, guys?" They grew silent when they saw me standing there. "I can hear everything you're saying."

They made shocked expressions and one of them (_presumably the one talking about Reike_) blushed. Then one of them looked down at the board and leaned into the microphone.

"Sorry boss, somebody must have bumped the auditory button in here. It appears to have been on before we entered the room," And then he pushed a button on the board and all grew silent as I saw them continue to chat amongst each other.

It was in that very moment that I wanted to crawl into the nearest hole and hide for the next week. My face probably changed to every shade of red in the color spectrum as the realization that my conversation with Hyde had just been broadcast to the entirety of my band. My mind was racing from the moment I put him on speaker phone to the moment I possibly bumped the button and just how much of what we were saying they had heard. Immediately I realized how wrong the conversation could have been taken and all the weird faces they were giving me and pouts I was getting from You-kun suddenly made sense. The guys in the sound booth went to work with the buttons and switches to set things up for our next song and I dreaded the moment I was going to have to turn around and face my band mates.

Everything was quiet save for You-kun playing a few tattered notes on his violin.

"C'mon Gackt, let's finish up this song and get outta here," Ryu said, tapping on his cymbal a few times. I slowly turned around, making my way to the microphone as casually as possible.

"Yea, after all, some of us have plans later this evening," Cha Cha teased, a purposeful lilt in his voice that caused my blush to deepen and Ryu to laugh while playing a loud cymbal toss.

"One more time from the top then," You-kun started, leading the band off with his violin intro. I gripped the microphone and tried to focus on the lyrics at hand.

* * *

-_Hyde POV_- 

_** I**_n the few times I've met with Gackt, it's always been at his house or an outside location. Now for the first time he was going to be coming to my place, and going beyond the door outside of my home. I had this sudden desire to make the house look as clean and immaculate as his did every time I visited so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work on calling my maid to get to my house_ immediately_.

As she worked, smartly bringing along two fellow maids for help, I stood in my closet, choosing carefully from my plainly colored wardrobe of expensive brands for the outfit I thought would show off my posh rockstar taste the best.

Just as I was holding things up to the mirror, I started to wonder why I was stressing over the appearance of my house and myself for the sake of Gackt. For all I know, he was merely dropping off a slip of paper that I was required to sign and that'd be it. Yet I felt that I needed to impress him with all I had, no matter how much or how little time I was given to do so.

In about an hour's time my maids made the house sparkle, I finally settled on a black button down top and some dark, classily ripped, denim jeans, and just as I was tossing the last of my empty water bottles into the pura bin, my phone was glaring those familiar hearts as Gackt's name danced across the display of my cellular.

"Gacchan," I nearly cooed as soon as I flipped the phone open.

"Hyde, I'm on my way now, I should be there shortly," Gackt quickly spoke. His voice didn't sound as cheerful as it usually did which dashed my hopes slightly.

"The door will be open," I replied as he hung up. Sensing that Gackt was feeling a little under the weather I realized that this might be my chance to finally repay him for everything he had done for me thus far.

As the maids were leaving my home I thanked them, slipping an envelope of money into their hands and proceeded to my liquor cabinet where I noticed that it severely needed restocking. Ken and Sakura had nearly cleaned me right out last night and as I realized that I wouldn't have enough time now to run out and refill it, instead I decided to head down to the wine cellar, instantly grateful for Megumi and all her wine connoisseur friends that she met with weekly. I pulled out a few good years of various brands and brought them up, setting them in the liquor cabinet and getting out some of our finest champagne glasses for the occasion. My phone started to buzz just as I was lining them up, making sure that either the brand or the year was visible. I glanced at my cellular, not recognizing the number so I chose to ignore it as I brought two glasses out to the coffee table.

I wisely chose to stop answering random numbers that I didn't know ever since the incident when I answered _'This is Hyde'_ and some girl on the other line, who had accidentally dialed my number, proceeded to scream my ear off when she realized who she called. Then I subsequently received calls from all of her friends for the following two weeks until I had the chance to get a new phone and number.

As I worked on the drink line-up, my phone's buzzing was getting more and more annoying and I realized why Gackt was anxiously fishing after it the night prior in the limousine. Irritated, I finally chose to flip it open.

"What?" I shouted into the phone, figuring if it was someone who knew me, they'd proceed to chat away and if not, they'd likely hang up.

"Hyde, it's uh, Sakura. I had Ken give me your number, I hope that's alright,"

I paused my hands from their work, choosing rather to simply eyeball the wine bottles as my mind tried to tell me the right words to say in response.

"Sakura-chan… yea, of course it's fine. Uh, what's up?" I said, casually making conversation as I shut the glass doors of the liquor cabinet and stood back to admire my work.

"Let's cut the small talk Hyde; do you have a minute?" Sakura's voice rasped from the other end.

"Uh…" I glanced out the window. There wasn't any sign of headlights yet but I knew that Gackt would be arriving any time now. "If you keep it short."

"Oh, are you on your way out? Cuz I could meet up with you somewhere. Or maybe I could drop by your place? I know yesterday you said Meg was leaving town and I really want to talk to you, so-"

"Bad timing; I'm kind of expecting someone…"

"Oh you are?" he started, "What, is Gackt coming over to see you or something?" I heard his laughter on the other end and didn't know how to respond. I didn't want to tell him yes, but I didn't want to lie to him either. However, it appeared that my silence responded for me. "_Oh_.…" he finally concluded.

"Sakura-chan, look. I'm… I'll be free tomorrow. Maybe we can me--"

"Don't bother, Hyde," Sakura interrupted. "If Gackt's visiting you tonight, planning tomorrow might be making an empty promise."

I tightly shut my eyes at his comment. How dare he assume such a thing! Here I thought there was maybe the slightest possibility that Sakura was calling to apologize and instead he was mocking me for no good reason at all. I wanted to lash out at that very moment but was interrupted by the doorbell. "I have to go. My _guest_ is here,"

"Fine. _Enjoy your evening_." Sakura mocked and promptly hung up. I growled at my phone and snapped it shut, shoving it in my pocket as I made my way to the door and opened it with more force than I intended.

"Hyde…" Gackt said, startled and looking alarmed at my reaction. "I… didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?" He inquired and I shook my head, extending an arm of invitation.

"No, not at all. Please, come in," As he walked past me I eyed his attire and noticed a manila folder in his hand that probably contained the paper that was going to legally bind me to the MOON movie project.

Gackt stood in my foyer for a bit as I closed the door behind us and offered to take his jacket.

"Actually, I don't think I can stay very long," Gackt started, bringing the folder in front of his chest.

"What? Why not?" _No, dammit!_ I wanted him to sit down, relax and stay a while so I could show-off. I wanted him to be made at home while I slowly got him drunk on the finest wine, leading up to the point where he'd ask about touring my house and I could show-off some more and then eventually he'd fall asleep in my not-nearly-as-luxurious-nor-very-comfortable futon.

"Well, there are some things going on with my band mates you see," Gackt began, nervously tapping his fingers on the folder. "But I have the contract. Is there some place we can review it?"

Something was strange. Gackt had barely looked at me and all he wanted was to discuss business. What happened to the Gackt who had been pursuing me and making me nervous for my backside every ten minutes? I noticed, as I led him into the living room I had spent so much time arranging, that there was a role reversal taking place. Now it felt as though I was hunting him like some helpless fangirl hot on the pursuit. Well good. It was time to make _him_ squirm and see the torture I'd endured from all his empty advances.

Gackt seated himself on my couch, placing the folder on the coffee table and rubbing his hands nervously down his red PVC pants. It was strange to see Gackt acting so awkwardly around me so I tried to lighten the situation by offering him something out of the liquor cabinet. When he chose the burgundy, I pulled it out and showed it off a bit before shaking the bottle, causing Gackt to lean back a bit as I did so. I reached for the top to remove the cork and after nearly biting a hole in my lip and two (_hopefully manly sounding_) grunts later, the cork finally dislodged itself and flew into the air… landing square onto Gackt's forehead.

"_ITAI_!" He exclaimed, his eyes shutting tightly as his hand moved to his head to touch the spot where the cork just conked him.

"Kami-sama!" I cried out, putting down the wine and rushing to Gackt's side. "Gacchan! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I moved his hand out of the way so I could check his forehead carefully – no blood, no red marks… It didn't even appear that there would be a bruise later.

"Hyde! What were you thinking?" Gackt nearly growled, shocking me when I didn't hear his usual calm and cool demeanor. "You could have poked my eye out!"

"I know, I'm sorry! I had no intention of… I mean, there's no way I would ever try to-"

"This better not leave a mark," Gackt sighed, rubbing his head again. "I have a photoshoot tomorrow morning."

"It looks fine," I replied, tightly-lipped and moving his hand out of the way again and now starting to notice the slightest lump forming. "But… just to be safe I better get you something to put on it."

I disappeared quickly, cursing myself under my breath as I raced to the kitchen to fill a bag with ice. How could I be so stupid? Well if I wanted to create any sort of mood between us now, I was going to have to work extra hard at it. Not only had I just injured him, but Gackt's tone of voice was a good indication that he wasn't very happy and therefore wouldn't want to stay around much longer, regardless of if he could or not.

I made my way back to the living room, where it appeared Gackt had already poured himself a full glass and nearly downed all of it.

"Here," I said as he sat his back along the couch, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as I brought the bag of ice to his forehead. "That should reduce any possible swelling. How's the wine?"

"It's good." Gackt blankly responded, swatting my hand out of the way to hold the bag on his own. I sighed and stood up, pouring myself a glass and taking up residence on a chair across the room.

"So," I started, unsure where to even lead the conversation but wanting to keep it away from the contract and stall time as much as I could. But I couldn't even think of something decent to ask him to get us talking. So I just asked the first thing that popped into my mind. "What's wrong with your band mates?" That was not the direction I wanted to go into.

"I'd rather not talk about work right now, Hyde." Gackt said, his voice still bland and empty sounding. "I have your contract in the folder there if you could look over it." _Damn. So much for that._

My idea of having a nice quiet evening, where I should have had plenty of opportunities to show-off my possessions and make a good name for myself, dispelling any strange thoughts Gackt might have had about me, was rather quickly turning into a sorry business meeting of sorts. I reached over to the table, picking up the folder and trying to keep my jaw in place on my face as I looked over the seven pages of small print. All my eyes really caught was Gackt's name in several places, along with _Shochiku_, something about Taiwan and the word MOON about a dozen times. After making sure there weren't any suspicious words in here that would later have me tearing my hair out because I didn't take time to read the fine print, I exhaled loudly, placed the contract down on the table and picked up a pen, ready to add my autograph—I mean, _signature _to it.

"Wait," Gackt yelled, moving his hand in front of the paper just as my pen was about to make contact with it. I looked up at him. It only took a moment to get lost in those bright blue contacts and for the first time this evening, I was starting to see what I thought was some emotion from Gackt.

"Yes, Gacchan?" I asked, kicking myself mentally for reducing myself to pathetic goo anytime he looked at me like that.

"Is that blue or black ink?"

I think the corner of my mouth twitched at his random question.

"I… think it's blue… Why is this important?" I asked, quickly becoming frustrated with the lack of interest I was receiving from him.

"It needs to be signed in black," he responded, reaching into his jacket to hand me a different pen. "Use this and give it back to me when you're done." He held the pen out to me and for a moment I just stared at him, trying to figure out who replaced mywonderful, kind Gacchan with this equally pretty yet very dull and careless jerk. I snatched the pen from his hands, attached my signature, and slid the folder and the pen back to his side of the table.

As I downed the rest of the contents in my wine glass, I slumped back into my chair, unable to stop watching Gackt with what must have looked like a very angered expression. This was not the way I had been planning this evening, although when I stopped to think about it, I really had no plans in store anyway and rather was hoping that our actions would determine where things would go.

But at the moment the only actions I could determine were that I'd be escorting him out very soon, unless he offered to leave on his own. I'd rather spend my night alone than deal with this frustrating change of mood between us.

We sat in silence for a bit, Gackt eloquently finishing his wine and then adjusting his jacket awkwardly, as if he was waiting for me to let him be excused from the table, so to speak. But I continued to watch him carefully from my chair in the corner and just when I thought he was about to get up and go—

"Would you like to see the rest of my house?" I blurted out. Gackt looked over to me in surprise at my sudden random outburst. A few minutes earlier I wanted him gone but as I sat, draining the rest of my wine and contemplating, I realized that getting the chance to have Gackt over while Megumi was gone and me with a free night seemed to be a rare feat and I wanted to seize the opportunity. If I wanted to show-off, it'd have to be now or possibly never.

Gackt shifted uncomfortably and looked as though he was thinking of something polite to say in decline so I stood up and began to narrate,

"Well this is the living room…" then I started to walk across the foyer, indicating he should join me. Gackt stood up and thankfully, started to follow me. I led him through each room, no matter how important or infrequent I may have used them, and then came back around to the front foyer where I stopped in front of the stairs.

"Hyde, I should probably get going," Gackt started.

"What's the rush? Where do you _really_ have to be?" I asked as I moved up the first step without facing it so I could keep watching him, and then, still backwards, stepped up another, and I could see my height now reached his.

"Well… I don't really have to _be_ anywhere, I just have a lot to take care of," Gackt answered, still sounding very much in business mode.

"Come on, you've only seen half of the house. It won't take that much longer to show you the rest," I said, stepping another stair backwards. "Besides, you don't sleep anyway. You have all night to do whatever you have to do before tomorrow gets here." I moved back to step up another stair but my foot didn't quite reach it right and before I had a chance to correct my footing, I was tumbling forward and landing safely in Gackt's quickly extended arms.

I looked up at him, catching my breath from the shock of the fall and he glanced back down at me when I noticed something change in his eyes.

"Careful Hyde," Gackt whispered, holding onto me tightly and lifting me up to my feet, just as he had done the very first time I tripped in his house.

* * *

-_Gackt POV_- 

**_ A_**s I stood there holding Hyde, his big brown doe eyes looking up at me, I further realized the reason I had to leave his house as soon as possible. Knowing that we were alone in his place and that Hyde wanted to talk about what happened last night (even though nothing really happened), had me on the edge. Initially I was excited but after the disastrous fiasco at the studio earlier today and the looks and attitude I had been getting from You-kun as of late, I started to wonder if perhaps he was right and I was getting myself into something too deep that I would never resurface from.

Hyde had taken my heart long ago, although he didn't know it, and our every encounter was only further fueling my desire to be with him. Not that I would ever change a thing about having Hyde star in my movie, but it was becoming clear that if I was to ever survive all the time we were to be together from here on out, I was going to have to harden my emotions, rather than certain body parts, and make sure our friendship remained just that.

Slowly I let him go and he stood back from me, smoothing down his shirt and staring at the floor with the slightest blush across his cheeks. I had to look away from how charming it was to his appeal.

"Actually, I have the script upstairs," Hyde said, interrupting my thoughts and causing me to look at him again. "And I have a question about a certain part of it. Could we maybe look over it quickly before you go?"

As long as Hyde wanted to talk business and the movie I should be safe. "Certainly," I replied and his face lit up as he began to head up the stairs. I thought maybe he would bring the script down to me but instead I was being beckoned to follow him. I decided to remove my jacket and hung it on the post at the end of the stairs before making my way up. At the top I was greeted by a lovely hallway adorned with L'Arc-en-Ciel's platinum and gold selling albums, various plaques he had received and the occasional mirror or random painting along the way. It was a visual feast for the eyes. I slowly followed Hyde, taking in all the surroundings when he disappeared into a room.

Leering around the corner of the room he just entered, I peeked my head in and then slowly entered. As I took in my new environment I realized this must be Hyde's room, indicated by the large messy bed, desks and tables full of papers, guitars and various instrument accessories strewn about and his large closet in the back. I swallowed just as he was coming around the corner, looking somewhat surprised that I came into the room and neared me with the large script.

He flipped through it, occasionally licking his lips in the process. "I don't remember where it was…" he said, turning the pages as I stood next to him uncomfortably, my eyes darting around to avoid his sinful little tongue and rather stare at his lack of decoration and also lack of neatness. As he noisily flipped the script in his hands my eyes fell to his laptop computer and what I can only assume was his personal website, judging by the name '_Hydeist_'. I made a mental note to check it out in my own free time. For a moment we stood there awkwardly until I heard the familiar buzz of his cell phone. Hyde dropped the script on his desk and pulled his phone from his pocket, grimacing at the number.

"What do you want now?" Hyde immediately spoke as he opened his phone. I assumed it was his wife. "Yes I do….. No, it wasn't….. What do you mean?..."

I started to think that anytime I feel a strong emotion for Hyde, I should remind myself that he is married. Happily or not, it's unlikely that he would actually share any of the feelings I am harboring for him, regardless of what I may like to think, or even what some of our friends have started assuming. I groaned in my head, realizing that this pursuit of mine was ridiculous and I should work on establishing a comfortable friendship with Hyde, rather than an uncomfortable one-sided love affair.

At that thought, I felt as though I were intruding and decided to excuse myself, heading down the stairs and right for another glass of the delicious burgundy wine. My head had begun to lightly pound, likely from tonight's earlier disaster, so I trusted the wine would help relieve some of that pain. As I exhaled I sat myself down on the couch, my eyes drawn to the folder where I opened it to see Hyde's sloppy signature jotted across the bottom of the MOON movie contract. I took a hearty gulp of my wine and soon Hyde was joining me in the room, a cigarette hanging from his mouth as he shoved his cellular back into his pocket.

"I'm sorry about that," Hyde said, pulling the cigarette from his mouth and puffing out the smoke. "It was-"

"Your wife?" I supplied with a fake grin, my eyes moving down to stare at my wine.

"Actually no, it was Tetsu," Hyde answered, pouring himself another glass of burgundy and sitting next to me on the couch. "I had run into him at that party the other night so we're trying to catch up on some things. He just has the _worst _timing because now I forgot where that part in the script was. If I remember it I'll let you know later." Hyde removed the cigarette from his mouth and took a long sip of the wine and I couldn't help but be entranced at watching him.

"Um, mind if I--" I started pointing to his cigarette, the desire for nicotine suddenly strong as I sat in his presence. I began reaching into my pocket for my pack but before I could, Hyde was gingerly placing his own cigarette in my mouth, mimicking an action I had done to him a few days ago. His eyes focused on my mouth before moving upward to look me square in the eye.

"We can share this one," he quietly said, his eyes drifting back to my mouth as I took a long drag and puffed out the first grey fumes. It tasted so good. As I looked back over at Hyde I noticed he was licking his lips while watching my mouth carefully. I decided I needed more wine.

As I poured myself another full glass, I could still feel an ache in my head, no doubt caused by the cork incident moments earlier. Hyde shifted his position on the couch, taking another sip before setting his drink down on the coffee table and turning his vision back to me. I took the cigarette from my mouth and leaned into him and he began to part his lips slightly.

Slowly I moved forward, locking our eyes as I placed the cigarette into his mouth. Hyde purposely brushed his lips on my fingers as he took the nicotine stick from me and inhaled. I leaned back and turned my body slightly, watching as Hyde tilted his head back and enjoyed the rest of the cigarette solemnly. _What am I doing dawdling here?_ I thought to myself. I had the signed contract and we weren't accomplishing anything business-like now. My head was still throbbing in pain and I had much work to do now that everyone was signed onto the movie project. But as much as my brain willed me to stand up and leave, my body longed me to stay.

_** N**_ine shared cigarettes, a second bottle of wine and countless meaningless conversations later, I ended up on my back in the floor of Hyde's living room… with an ice pack nursing my forehead. In the opening of the second bottle of wine, somehow Hyde had managed to once again knock me in the head with the cork. I was beginning to wonder if the strange coincidence that it should happen twice in one night was somehow linked to my overall belief of the destiny I believe we shared, when Hyde suddenly appeared standing above me, staring at me with one of his patented pouts.

"Is it feeling any better?" he asked and I looked up at him through glazed eyes.

"I can't tell anymore. The wine seems to have numbed me somewhat," I responded with a slightly tipsy laugh, my eyes falling shut again. Hyde giggled as well and then I felt something move my legs and before I knew it, Hyde was kneeling at my side, tenderly lifting the ice pack and tracing one of his fingers around my head. "I can't believe I have to go to a photoshoot tomorrow," I murmured.

"It doesn't look bad, honestly. The camera will never tell," Hyde said with a smile, discarding the ice pack to the coffee table.

"That's because they'll cover me in makeup and then photoshop the hell out of it afterwards," I commented, propping myself up on my elbows and feeling a little woozy. Hyde pushed the damp hairs away from my forehead and I grew interested in the adorable pinkish tint that filled his face due to our rapid consumption of alcohol.

"I used to think that's what it was," Hyde replied. "Make-up, and the photo shopping and all that. But after seeing you in person, I have trouble believing you're anything but every bit as gorgeous as you look, Gacchan."

I'm sure the color of my face filled to match that of his own at his fluffy endearments.

"Get off it," I said with a laugh to break the tension, sitting up fully. "You don't have to suck up to me anymore now. You're the film's star – you get whatever you want automatically."

"Is that so?" Hyde said in mock-disbelief. "In that case I want my trailer stocked with enough brandy for us to get perpetually drunk every night, ramen noodles stacked to the brim, and a big bowl full of M&Ms. But ONLY the blue ones."

I laughed at him. "Why only the blue ones?" I asked, leaning my back against the couch. Hyde tilted his head as he looked at me.

"Because they match the color of your eyes," he cooed in his gleefully intoxicated state.

"You know that's not their real color…" I responded in jest.

"Ok then maybe just the pink ones, to match your lips," Hyde quietly remarked, his hands cupping the sides of my face and immediately bringing our joyful drunken banter to a more serious level.

"Hyde…" I whispered as he slowly began to bring our faces together…

* * *

-_Hyde POV_- 

**_ I_**'m not sure at that moment just how drunk I was, but my face was warm and my vision was glazed over so all I could see in front of me was Gackt's moist, full, plump lips. I had this strange desire to bite down on them to see if they were real; they were so perfectly perfect.

And as I sat there, very near to him, my hands around his warm face and that gentle blush covering his features, I noticed that I had just placed us in the most precarious of situations. My body grew hot and my mouth began to salivate and my pants were getting tight but Gackt was just staring at me, his eyes wide and yet soft.

In my drunken stupor, our casually teasing remarks had somehow gone wrong and drove us to be in the position we were now, where all it would take was a single move forward for our lips to meet. The burgundy wine was warm in my belly and I was too far gone right now to remember how I ended up on the floor of my home with Gackt in the first place.

"Hyde…" Gackt whispered again, and I'd be wrong if I didn't say his voice sounded like he was pleading for something. But whether he wanted me to move forward or let go was in the air. I looked at his mouth again just in time to catch his tongue reaching out to moisten his lips and the heat traveled fast from my face to my stomach and right to my groin.

Unfortunately, _or fortunately depending how you look at it_, just as my thoughts began to darken and I was leaning toward the action that could imminently spell my doom but satiate my lust, our staring contest was interrupted by a loud and lively,

"_HELLLLOOOOO_!!"

I felt Gackt tense and saw his eyes flash wide so I let go of his face and turned my head toward the doorway. There was no mistaking the energetic voice I just heard but what the _HELL_ was it doing in my home at this hour?

As if on cue, Tetsu was waltzing through my doorway, bags in his hands, three scarves around his neck, and those god-awful platform shoes that made me feel shorter than usual in his presence.

"Tetsu!? What the-"

"Hey when I asked you when could I drop by you said _'whenever'_…" He tossed his bags in the corner and plopped himself down on the chair across from where Gackt and I had rapidly moved ourselves from the floor to the couch, and I noted as I quickly moved to cover my pants with my hands, that Gackt was doing the same thing. _Interesting._

"Yea but_ whenever_ doesn't mean--", I glanced at the grandfather clock in the foyer, "_MIDNIGHT_ TONIGHT!" I yelled, a slight bit of soberness starting to come over me.

It was strangely amusing to watch Tetsu's cheerful friendly demeanor suddenly go into absolute shock when he finally noticed that I was sitting next to Gackt.

"OH MY GOD." Tetsu said, standing up from his seat, a hand over his mouth. "Is that!! Are you?? Why are!! What??"

Gackt's eyes were still wide in surprise from the sudden turn of events. Tetsu was gaping like a fish and pointing his hand accusingly at poor Gackt, who had since crossed his legs and shrunken into himself, making him look much smaller than he was.

"Can you finish_ any_ of your sentences, Tetchan?" I tried to calmly ask, becoming increasingly annoyed at the fact that I was now just _sitting next to_ Gackt when only moments ago I could have possibly been doing something else with my mouth rather than using it to degrade my rudely interrupting friend. My brain was nearly mush from the wine, and because of that I was, as usual, horny as hell, and my pants were still tight and I was not very pleased.

"GACKT!?" Tetsu finally spat out. "What are you doing at Hyde's house?! I didn't know you guys were _FRIENDS_?!" He enunciated the last word a little too strongly for me to feel comfortable with.

"Uh, well we're kind of, um –_cough_– working on uh, a collaboration," I stuttered. I could see Gackt glancing wide-eyed at me from the corner of his eyes.

"REALLY?!" Tetsu's shouting was proving to be too much for my intoxicated brain. "I would have never thought a relationship like this to take place…"

"_Relationship_? What do you mean?" I nervously questioned. "We're just working on a movie together--"

"A MOVIE?!" Tetsu shrieked. _Again, with the yelling…_ "Hyde! That's so…. that's… so…. A movie? What the hell. You can't act!"

"How do you know?!" I retorted quickly standing up and then just as quickly sitting back down as I was made conscious just how aware everyone else would be of my bulging jeans. Although thanks to Tetsu's outburst it was quickly going away.

"I think Hyde will be a fantastic actor," Gackt chimed in, causing Tetsu's attention to leave me as he turned to look at the one speaking.

"The infamous Gackt, huh," Tetsu started. Then he glared back at me. "So THIS is the plan you have for your summer is it? Why didn't you tell me that the other night? Why didn't you tell me you were working with _Gackt_ – on a _MOVIE_ of all things?!"

"When I saw you I didn't _KNOW_ I was going to be working on a movie yet. I just signed the contract tonight," I said, pointing to the folder. Tetsu's eyes went down to the opened manila folder, with my signature in plain sight, and then he looked up at me again.

"Well," he started. "I brought some things over for you," Tetsu continued, pointing to the bags in the corner. "Magazines I subscribe to that you _just happened_ to be in, some of those cookies my mom sent me that you love so much, and a couple of things from my wardrobe I've decided to give up,"

I blushed a little as I realized Gackt was getting quite an insight to Tetsu and mine's strange little relationship.

"I guess I should get going though since this isn't '_whenever_' and it also appears that I'm interrupting some important contract discussions," he articulated the last word as he shot Gackt a glare and slowly drug his eyes over to me where I had trouble keeping his gaze. "Give me a call when '_whenever_' is _actually convenient _for you_, ne Doihachan_?" He turned on his overgrown boot and stomped out of my house, slamming the front door loudly as he left.

My eyes fell shut and I let out a long sigh. When I opened my eyes Gackt was standing up, brushing off his pants and grabbing the manila folder holding my contract.

"Where are you going?" I asked, worried that he was going to storm out as well.

"I should have left a while ago, Hyde," he started, making his way out to the foyer and retrieving his jacket from the post at my stairs. I rushed out to follow him. "I will probably hate myself in the morning," he wobbled a little as he pulled his keys from his pocket.

"Wait Gackt, you're in no condition to drive," I said, trying to steady him as he stumbled while putting his jacket on. He dropped the folder and the contents scattered across the floor. I scrambled to pick up the pages.

"I'm fine, really," he replied, a hand touching his slightly marked forehead. I came over to him holding the folder and Gackt reached to take it but I quickly moved it behind my back. "Hyde, please give me that…"

"No. Give me your keys." I demanded, holding out a palm. Gackt sighed loudly. "I'm not playing games, Gackt. I refuse to let you drive home like this."

Quickly his hand moved to my face and I flinched thinking he might hit me but instead he cupped my cheek and smiled through tired eyes.

"You're right, how stupid of me." He reached into his pocket and gave me his keys. I let out a sigh of relief and thanked him, placing the folder underneath his keys on the table behind me. Gackt smiled tenderly as he watched me make my way back to his side and lean along the wall for support.

"Well you can have your choice of rooms to stay in; they all have comfortable furniture. I should know, seeing as I fell asleep on most of these couches at one point or another until I was able to convince Megumi I needed my own room since we just don't get along being in the same one together for very long," I wordily sputtered adding a fake laugh at the end.

"What does it matter where you put me? I recall you mentioning earlier how I don't sleep anyway, remember?" Gackt teased. I playfully punched him and realized he still had his jacket on. Boldly I reached out, dragging my hands up to the collar and slowly slid it off of him. Gackt obliged to my actions by standing up straight from his position against the wall and allowed me to take his jacket off.

"Ok, let me show you to your room, then," I said, hanging his jacket on the coat rack next to my three or four already hanging there and then led him down the hallway to the lounge. As we walked into the room I realized that my mental checklist (being show-off the house, get Gackt drunk on wine and have him fall asleep on_ my_ futon) was slowly being marked off one-by-one. I smiled in a strange sort of pride of my accomplishments and turned on a single small lamp in the corner, trying to keep in mind Gackt's dislike of the light, as I got to work on un-folding the futon. However it was difficult to do on my own and when Gackt noticed me struggling, he graciously went to the other end and helped me fold it out to its full-size bed form.

"It needs some sheets, let me get you some," I said leaving the room momentarily to gather a couple blankets and pillows from the linen closet. When I entered the room I tossed a pillow at Gackt when he wasn't expecting it, resulting in getting himself walloped upside the head and tumbling over onto the futon. I was about to laugh but he was dead silent.

"Gacchan?" I exclaimed, rushing to his side to check on him. Talk about a string of bad luck; this was the third time I'd hit him in the head tonight, though hopefully this one hurt much less than the others. I chaotically tossed the blankets onto the bed and removed the pillow from his face to find Gackt laughing uncontrollably and in turn whopping _me_ in the face with the same pillow. "Why you--" I started, picking up another pillow to hit him back.

Gackt jumped up on the futon, whacking me fiercely (_well as much as you can with a soft fluffy object_) on the back and realizing my extreme disadvantage from the ground, I jumped up on the futon to join him and soon we were in an all-out pillow pounding _war_.

I had the upper-hand; striking him once, then twice in a super fast ninja-like move, and then Gackt raised the pillow above his head and began racing forward to attack back. But just as he did his foot got caught up in the bundle of sheets lying on the bed and soon he was hurriedly crashing down on top of me.

It didn't really hurt, considering what I landed on and the fact that there were pillows and blankets all around us, but the fast impact of our fall, combined with the wine sloshing in my brain and stomach, caused the wind to be knocked out of me momentarily. I coughed a few times as I pushed the blankets away from my face, using the sound of Gackt's continued drunken laughing to find the way out.

"I couldn't--", Gackt paused to laugh, "--even begin to tell you--", more laughing, "--the last time I had a pillow fight!" He laughed as he lay half on top of me and half on the bundle of blankets.

"Me neither," I breathily replied. "Though I think it's become more dangerous since the last time I did," I laughed back.

"That's because we're bigger now," Gackt replied, still chuckling. "Well, maybe not _you_…" He boldly joked.

"_Ooh_, you bastard," I playfully retorted at his remark on my size, reaching around me for the nearest pillow to hit him again. But Gackt already had one and plopped it in my face, laughing some more. I pulled the pillow away, all intentions of hitting him back but noticed that he was no longer laughing but now just smiling at me, a tender expression in his eyes.

Gackt pushed the messy stray hairs away from my face, his hand trailing down my cheek to cup my chin and ever-so-gently tilt my head up toward him. My breath hitched momentarily in my throat and then I heard a slight rustling of the sheets and noticed Gackt was moving his body so that he was now lying almost entirely on top of me. I swallowed noisily as I was suddenly conscious of him being able to detect the way the lower half of my body had just sprung to attention.

Gackt's blue eyes seemed to darken as he looked at me, his expression now more serious with a hint of smile still lingering at the end of his lips. All I could smell was the strong scent of _Egoiste_ enveloping around me. I could feel the heat not only in my face but coursing through my whole body, especially a fire down below when Gackt moved his leg and it lightly brushed across my groin. I couldn't help the quiet moan that escaped my mouth.

Gackt leaned his head down, closing his eyes and touching our foreheads, leaving just the slightest bit of space keeping our lips from meeting. I stared up at him, using the quiet moment to take in all his facial features closely and could feel his chest heaving above me and the warm air on my face from his breathing. His leg moved again, but this time it was moving away from me. Gackt slowly opened his eyes and I locked our gazes. He shifted his leg once more, pushing it into my bulging need and causing me to elicit another moan from low in my throat.

As I did so, I saw Gackt's eyes widen slightly, a blaze burning within them. He moved his leg yet again, obviously discovering what it was he was doing to bring forth my yearning noises.

"_Gacchan_…" I purred, and he brought his face directly in front of me. I should have told him to stop; told him that we were drunk and would regret this later; told him that this would definitely lead up to no good if we were to spend the next few months working closely together on the damned movie project that got us here in the first place and yet my body was crying out for more, so much that I found myself whorishly bucking my hips upward, just to feel his warm body against that part of me again.

Now Gackt groaned; it was a deep sound that only increased my lust and made me toss all my earlier thoughts of stopping aside. I shifted my hips up again, this time granted with an open mouthed '_aaa-_' from Gackt's lovely full lips. Morning-after regrets be_ damned, _this is what I wanted _right now_.

I suppose the moment to come next was inevitable, as it felt like it was something that had been building up since the moment I first met Gackt only a few days ago. Of course, I tried to keep these imageries buried in the back of my mind, harden my shell and neglect the fact that I had ever entertained such a thought. But my subconscious, whether I liked it or not, had been gradually creating the perfect kiss for us to share; a thought that would often rush to the front of my mind anytime I was alone with Gackt. I predicted it being slow and beautiful and romantic and everytime I was in close proximity with him, the vision of it was built upon to be even more wonderful than it was the last time I had imagined it.

Instead, I barely had time to realize what was happening when Gackt's mouth came crashing down onto mine, devouring my lips, and in a moment that may or may not have been beyond my control, our tongues were wrestling for the domination of each other's mouths.

During the act, my hands had finally freed themselves from the mess of blankets holding them hostage and in mere moments I was flinging my arms up – one around Gackt's neck and the other grabbing a fistful of his hair, using all my strength to pull him as close to me as we could possibly get. It must have worked because I soon felt Gackt's also very apparent need rubbing against mine. We moaned together as our groins made clothed-contact and then Gackt broke the kiss, moving his mouth to pleasure my neck instead.

And it was _good_.

Except that as he ministered to one spot and then another, panting and licking and sucking, I felt that I had been limited to simply lying there and sighing or moaning whenever it felt particularly wonderful, which was pretty much the whole time. Just as I was thinking about what I could do to please him back, I noticed the good sensation took a different approach… either that or Gackt was just getting really sloppy with his mouth near the back of my neck.

"_Gacchan_…" I rasped, shifting beneath him slightly. "Don't stop…" I moved my hands to the base of his neck where I noticed he had stopped moving. "Gacchan?" I tried to move my head, pulling away so I could see his face and then it became clear to me that he had in fact fallen asleep. _How romantic_.

I groaned, not in pleasure but in pain as I realized that Gackt was very heavy when he was asleep and began to struggle with instant claustrophobia. I tried to push him over, I tried to move him off with my leg, I tried my damndest to smuggle my body out from underneath his, but it was all to no avail. I was weak and tired from all the wine and the pillow fighting and the rush of blood to two opposite ends of my body in the midst of finally permitting our long-awaited lust so eventually I gave up, sighed heavily, and after shutting my eyes, drifted quickly into sleep as well.

* * *

-_Gackt POV_- 

_** B**_esides waking up with an agonizing hangover, I was also instantly alerted of the fact that I had an aching hard-on.

As I blinked my eyes, slowly my vision began to clear and I tried to piece together where I was. Looking down at myself I noted I was still fully dressed and laying on a cluttered pile of mismatched sheets and blankets. But when I rolled over I was immediately made aware of the small, warm body next to me being none other than Hyde.

At once, visions and sensations came flooding back to me as I recalled our frantic make-out session only hours ago making my cock twitch for my attention again.

But before I could even think about tending to my need, I remembered that I had a photo shoot to be at and right now I looked like a ragged mess. I quickly sat up, working relentlessly to quietly untangle my leg from the muddle of sheets and then fix my tousled hair. I dashed out of the bed, my socks sliding me along the hallway in the foyer where I quickly grabbed my jacket and began desperately looking for my keys. Thankfully my search didn't lead me far as I spotted them sitting on top of a very important document I had nearly forgotten about. Just as I was slipping on my shoes I felt a twang of guilt stab me in the stomach – or maybe that was the hangover reacting. My stomach lurched forward and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand as the sickness threatened to leave my body. Obviously all my hurried, rushing around was not cooperating with the fact that there was a good deal of burgundy wine still in my system. As I caught my reflection in the mirror I noticed how pale and ill and tired I looked and figured I should stop to get some gifts for my poor make-up team before hitting the studio. They were going to have their work cut out for them today.

Just as I was turning around slowly and concentrating my breathing, my stomach heaved again and I knew that I had to get to a restroom and _NOW_.

Frantically my mind tried to recall Hyde's mini tour last night and the direction I needed to race to. I freed my feet from my shoes and my clothed feet began to lead me helplessly through his home, every now and then causing me to slide on what had to be freshly waxed floors. When finally I had found the toilet I fell to my knees and hung my head forward – but nothing came forth.

I breathed heavily, wiping the cold sweat filling my brow and stood back up, splashing my face with cold water from the spigot of his sink. I pulled out my phone and upon seeing the time, realized I had to get to the photo shoot location and fast. So I raced back out front, slid on my shoes, and scurried out the door.

On my ride over to the studio I tried to concentrate on the traffic but nearly caused a few chain collisions due to my growing headache, flip-flopping stomach, and those times my mind would occasionally slip me the memory of Hyde's sinful smile or devious tongue, catching me completely off guard.

I stopped at a nearby gift shop, grabbing handfuls of teddy bears, flowers, and chocolates and quickly charging it all to my card before racing to hopefully still make the location on time.

I arrived about ten minutes late. The photographer was tapping his foot and waving his hands in the air because not only did I make him wait this long, but I looked like a disaster and he easily noted that I hadn't even had my make-up done yet. I tossed some flowers at him in apology and made my way for the trailer where my management all gawked at me with wide eyes.

"Apologies to all," I started, handing out gifts as I made my way around the trailer. When my hands were empty I sat in my chair, tilted my head back and closed my eyes. "Now…_ make me beautiful_."

In a hurry, the entire team was on me doing what it was they did best.

* * *

_I started Chapter 5 but have a lot going on this week to tend to outside of my writing. If I can finish it, I'll try to post it before I leave for the weekend but I don't like to rush on these things! Still, thanks to everyone for reading. I hope you are enjoying._


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Sorry it took a little longer for me to get this chapter out. I wrote both 5 & 6 together and had to work with some details keeping in track with the ultimate storyline for filming the **Moon Child** movie. I have also bumped the rating due to the start of more explicit description and curse words in the upcoming chapters. Thank's for the 600+ views! _

* * *

-_H__yde__'s__ POV_- 

_**M**_y eyes slowly peeled open and strained to stay that way as I was instantly greeted with a pounding headache. Even the slightest bit of sun streaming in from the far window was enough to make me coil behind the covers like the vampire I was going to be playing in Gackt's movie.

_Gackt_.

Suddenly I recalled the twisted turn of events from last night and realized that when I rolled over, I was likely to find myself face-to-face with him yet again. I mentally prepared myself for such a view as I rolled onto my back -- only to see an empty mess of sheets beside me.

I sat up –much too quickly for my drunken headache– and glanced around the room. Freeing myself from the covers I padded into the foyer and noted that Gackt's jacket, keys, and the document containing my soul—I mean _signature_, were all missing.

I tried not to feel hurt that he had used me and then disappeared without a trace.  
Then I tried to forget that I just made such an assumption about _us _like we were a couple and went about my morning routine – meaning eating breakfast and watching TV.

Interrupting me was a shrill cell phone ring which I literally dashed to answer, thinking it might be Gackt giving an apology for not saying goodbye and telling me how much he wished he could have stayed (_ugh, could I get more sappy right now_?)…

Instead, it was my management reminding me that I had an interview scheduled for this afternoon. I took a few aspirin to rid the headache and prepared for the day ahead of me.

Throughout the morning I tried not to let myself be angered at the fact that I hadn't even heard from Gackt. I made my way to my room, spending some time in my closet to pick out the right outfit for my interview, just in case they felt the need to snap a photo or two. I walked to my dresser, pulling out my large virgin tear pendant to hang around my collar and it was then that I noticed the garishly large hickey on the right side of my neck, no doubt left there from Gackt last night.

My hand flew to the spot, rubbing the red splotch as though it would come off from that alone and cursing at myself for ever allowing such violation of my neck in the first place. Quickly I ran to Megumi's room and fumbled through her makeup kit, trying to find something I could use to cover it up. I grabbed a few skin-toned looking creams and powders and threw them on the sink counter in the bathroom. First I dumped out some liquidy peach stuff and dabbed it on, but it was dribbling down my neck and making a mess. Next I tried a lighter toned cream but it was mixing with the previous ointment and causing an awkward blotch of color. Finally I grabbed the powder and puffed its contents all around but the result was nothing but a gauche colored, chalky, caked mess on my neck.

It looked worse now than it did before. Grabbing a wash cloth and dampening it under the sink, I rubbed the make-up off as best I could and returned to my room in defeat. After I finished dressing I went downstairs where I caught sight of the bags Tetsu had dragged into my house last night. I had some time before I had to leave so I started to sort through them when I came across a long white scarf. I didn't know he ever rid of his precious scarves but I suppose the white color was just too plain for his tastes. So I wrapped it around my neck, being cautious to cover the hickey, and slipped out the door.

_**I**_ returned home late that evening; the interview ran long and afterwards I called Sakura but when he didn't answer his phone, I called Tetsu who thankfully agreed to meet me out for dinner, where I had the chance to apologize and further explain the movie and Gackt situation.

During my day I tried to shun thoughts of the dry-humping and tonsil-hockey that had taken place between Gackt and I last night but it was hard to avoid, even as I tried to focus throughout my day. During the interview I was asked if I had any plans for the summer and had to dodge it cautiously, but instantly thought about Gackt. Then while out with Tetsu (who complimented how well his scarf looked on me) his every other question was about Gackt and what he was like and what the movie was about… And all day I was continuously fidgeting with the scarf, making certain that it was always covering the red splotch, left by none other than Gackt himself, on my neck.

Finally home, I sighed and removed my jacket and shoes, pulling out my cellular to see if I had any missed calls, especially from someone in particular. But all I was alerted to was a new voicemail from Megumi and I chose to ignore it, flipping the phone shut again and shoving it into my pocket.

Just as I was starting to enjoy the thought that I'd finally have a free night where I could mope around my house all I pleased, the door bell rang. As the bell sounded a second time, I considered ignoring it all together and pretending I wasn't home, but since only a few select people knew where I lived, I realized that I wouldn't actually be able to get away with that without being hunted down eventually.

I spun around and walked lazily to the door, opening it just enough to look out and find Gackt staring back at me.

"…Hi…um….Gackt…." I stammered, his appearance at the door surprising me.

"Hyde, forgive me for dropping by unexpectedly. May I… come in?" Gackt said, moving his head to the side as though he were trying to peek through the small space leading into my home. I took a minute to eyeball his attire and took notice that one hand was behind his back. Curious as I was, I was still also angry that I hadn't heard from him all day.

"Sure," I said, stepping back from the door without pulling it open any further and leaving a semi-confused Gackt to push his way through. I made my way to the living room, just now deciding to put away the brandy bottles left sitting out from the night before. I heard Gackt enter the room but continued to keep my back to him as he attempted to make small talk.

"How was your day, Hyde?" Gackt started as I took extra time lining up the bottles in the cabinet.

"Could have been better," I replied quietly, turning the bottles around so all the labels were facing the same direction. I heard a rustle and as I closed the cabinet's glass doors, two arms reached around my waist and my body was pulled backwards against Gackt's tall, warm frame. He leaned his head over my left shoulder to look at my face.

"Hyde…" Gackt whispered, looking up at me. "I'm sorry about this morning-"

"Yeah you should be," I said, crossing my arms over my chest as he pulled his body closer to mine. "You could have waked me and said goodbye. Or written a note or something."

"I'm sorry, Hyde. I was in a terrible rush to get to my photo shoot," Gackt replied in his smooth voice, moving to sway our bodies. I tried to stand firm. "But I thought about you the whole time I was there…"

"Then why didn't you call?" I retorted. I noted I was giving Gackt replies akin to the cold whines I was used to hearing from my wife.

"I was very busy," Gackt continued, nuzzling his nose into the back of my hair, and I heard him inhale. "And after the shoot, which ran longer than usual, I had to rush to the office to take care of the movie contracts," When he said the word _'movie'_ he squeezed me a little tighter. "I got tied up and lost track of time."

As I felt his face moving around the back of my head and heard him sniffing into my hair, he pressed his body fully into me and I could feel that he was eager to jump right back into what we had started last night. My eyes began to flutter shut from the sensations or maybe it was just the sudden influx of his _Egoiste _cologne invading my nostrils, but I didn't want to give into this so easily. I battled with myself to pull away from his grasp and when I was freed, Gackt was looking at me with a confused expression through lust-hooded eyes. I then noted a large arrangement of roses sitting on the coffee table, no doubt placed there just moments earlier.

"Oh, by the way," I started, unraveling the scarf from my neck. "I thought_ I_ was supposed to be the vampire, ne?" I pulled the scarf off entirely, dropping it to the ground and revealing the large red hickey on the right side of my neck.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**I**_ was filled with a strange sort of accomplishment as Hyde revealed to me the reddened love bite on his neck because I couldn't stop from smiling at it. Nearing him I started to reach my hand forth, which Hyde looked as though he wanted to swat at, but rather he just sighed and looked away from me as I touched it lightly with a finger. As I traced it gently, I couldn't help but feel as though it was my mark of possession on Hyde's body and found the asymmetrical mark to be something of beauty.

I leaned in to place a gentle butterfly kiss upon his neck but just as my lips were about to make contact, Hyde shoved me roughly away from him.

I didn't know how to react or what to say but the look in Hyde's eyes was something feral I had never seen from him before. He stepped forward and pushed me again, this time knocking me onto the couch.

"Hyde!" I exclaimed, about to get up and demand what he was doing. But Hyde had moved in front of me in an instant, his fingers over my mouth now as he eyed my features and slowly drug his hand past my chin, trailing down my neck and collarbone, stopping when he reached the top of my buttoned shirt.

"I don't want any more of these desirous, drunken encounters between us, Gackt," Hyde said, his voice low and his hand on my chest forcing me to rest against the back of the seat as he lifted his knee onto the couch in between my legs.

"…I'm not drunk now, Hyde," I replied as he moved his hands to my shoulders, pushing his knee forward until it was nearly touching my crotch.

"Neither am I…" he quietly said, looking into my eyes. "And that's what scares me."

I blinked up at him. In a mere two sentences Hyde had admitted that he was fully aware what was going on between us was reaching a new level. He also slid his knee forward, causing it to gently massage my groin.

I tried to suppress the low noise growling from the back of my throat but Hyde still had that wild, dark look in his eyes and I couldn't hold back the groan any longer. I wanted to grab Hyde's hips and pull him down onto me but as I reached out he caught my wrists and held them there in between us. My wide eyes met his and he bit his lip, nudging his knee slightly and causing me to groan in need yet again. _The damn little tease._

"I had places to be today; people to see; things to do," Hyde rasped as he continued to stare at me. I wasn't sure what he was getting at until he purposely angled his neck at me so that the love bite I had left there was fully visible. "Don't think you can just come over here, leave your _mark _and then disappear for a while. That doesn't work with me-"

"What do you want then, Hyde? Tell me what you want," I demanded, the lust apparent in my throaty sounding voice. Biting his lip again, Hyde nudged his knee into the bulge of my pants once more. I felt his grip loosening on my wrists so I quickly wriggled them free and grabbed his hip bones almost ravenously. Hurriedly my hands slid around to the small of his back and I began to pull him toward me.

There was a brief, somewhat awkward, moment of body shifting. Hyde clambered onto the couch as I moved to angle my body and as our breathing began to increase in pace and volume, Hyde was pushing me fully onto my back, straddling himself on top of me and bringing our faces closely together. Hyde hesitated momentarily above my mouth before his eyes closed and then he unexpectedly gingerly placed our lips together.

I had been expecting him to collide our mouths onto each others and fall back into the hungry kissing we had been doing the night before but instead he was softly touching our lips together; once, twice, then opening his mouth and taking my bottom lip in between his. We resumed the quiet yet affectionate kissing like this for a while, Hyde seemingly taking his time to enjoy my mouth before using his tongue to beg for entry. I obliged easily and our tongues began to dance with each other; mine reaching to scrape the roof of his mouth, his delving in and out around my teeth. The pleasurable sensations I was experiencing from Hyde's slow and powerful kissing and tonguing were making me lightheaded as I lay there, my hands occasionally sliding around his back while his mouth worked pure magic.

I had always thought kissing to be a beautiful thing but Hyde's recreation of the act was nothing like I had ever experienced from another partner. It was almost as though he'd been planning this out for a while and he knew just what to do. Our mouths working together had made this kiss feel so amazing. Hyde began to kiss me harder, nipping on me hungrily, his tongue doing the most sinful things inside my mouth; and if that wasn't enough of a sign, he was also starting to rub his body sharply against mine. As he pushed his hips down I moaned loudly into his mouth and then he pulled away, his dark eyes staring down at me, clouded in lust.

"_Hyde_…" I breathed, gazing up at him. As much as I wanted to, it felt wrong to beg for him to tend to my growing need but I didn't know if I could hold out much longer after the things he was doing with his mouth. "I…-"

"Shhhh," Hyde hissed, taking my mouth in his as his fingers began to pull apart the buttons of my shirt. He pulled his face away from mine, moving himself slightly so that he was now sitting right over my groin as he undid the rest of my buttons. I growled in the back of my throat, wiggling my hips and causing him to grin devilishly as he pushed apart my open shirt.

He descended again, this time his tongue working in circles around my collar bone. I moved to reach between us and unhook the top of my pants and stop myself from suffocating. But Hyde's hand quickly caught my wrist and pulled it away, gripping it tightly as he drug his tongue down my chest, moving his mouth to nibble on one of my nipples.

"_Hyde_--" I rasped. As I looked down at Hyde I could see a devious smirk filling his face. He was_ enjoying_ torturing me like this. He sat up and grinned at me, still holding my wrist and bringing my hand to his mouth where he began to suckle on one of my fingers. Hyde wrapped his tongue around my digit, deliberately making a popping noise when he pulled it out. As he did it again my eyes took the time to roam his body and stopped when they noticed the strain in his own leather pants. With my free hand I quickly reached over and undid the top button of his pants, catching him completely off guard.

As much as I'd have loved him to continue and take care of my need, turning the tables like this made my competitive nature burst forth as I now reached for the zipper of his pants. Hyde's grip on my wrist loosened, his eyes widening as I slowly pulled the zipper down over his bulge. He let out a soft and shaky moan as I tugged the zipper all the way down. Shifting our bodies, I pushed myself up into a sitting position while simultaneously sliding Hyde down until his back was lying on the couch.

"_Gacchan_, you--"

"_Shhhh_," I interrupted, placing my semi-wet finger over his mouth. "_Me first_," I whispered. "I have to make up for the _mark_ I left on your neck that was so _traumatizing_ to your day…"

Gently I lifted his small hips and excitedly started to pull down his black leather pants with ease, tugging them off and tossing them on the floor beside us. I smiled as I looked at him lying there in his black boxers, a contrast to the lovely hue of pink now on his face. His brown eyes were wider than normal as I slowly leaned down and slid up the end of his shirt, so I could kissed his bare stomach, my tongue jutting out to lick his belly button ring (_something I'd wanted to do since the day I noticed he had it pierced_). As I slid my mouth down further with kisses, I was about to reach into his boxers when his hands grabbed firmly onto mine, stopping me.

"Gacchan, wait-" he throatily insisted. I looked up at his face which had grown a little redder with color. "Have you--?"

I knew what he was going to ask. "Yes, Hyde, I have." I replied, giving him a kind smile. He was still looking at me anxiously. "Have you…?" I waited for a bit as he looked away from me. Chewing his lip slightly, he nodded in response before bringing his eyes to meet mine again. I gave him a soft smile and reached up to cup his reddened cheek in my hand. Hyde's eyes fell closed and he leaned his face into my hand. I moved my face up his body and to his face, capturing his mouth in a deep kiss as my free hand reached into his boxers, gently freeing his swollen member from its bind. Hyde moaned within my mouth as my warm hands made contact with his erection.

I whispered his name with our lips just touching, giving his shaft a firm pump. But just as Hyde whimpered against my mouth, a shrill noise erupted out of nowhere.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_**T**_he loud sound of my house phone ringing startled us both, and Gackt instantly turned his face away from me, letting go of my member as he looked at me with wide eyes. I took it that he didn't recognize the noise and so I pointed over to the phone on the desk, then brought my face up to capture his reddened lips in another sensual kiss, hopefully convincing him to continue his administrations.

The phone rang again and again but Gackt was pumping his hand and tonguing my neck so I hardly noticed when it rang a fifth, then sixth time and Megumi's voice message came over the machine—"_Moshi moshi, and thank you for calling. We're both busy at the moment but you can leave a message and we'll see to it to return your call when we have a chance. Arigatou gozaimasu!" _followed by a beep and then—

"BEEP? Oh yea - HEY HYYYDE!" It was some ridiculous male drunken voice that caused Gackt and I to stop all our actions and look over to the machine. "Hyde I don't care where you're doing… or who you are… wait, I mixed that up… but I am coming overrr to your houssse…"

Voices could be heard in the background; words of "no!" and "you're drunk!" and something that sounded like "stimmt nicht!"…

"You can't stoooop meeee!" the first voice wailed. Finally my brain had worked around the heady blended scent of _Egoiste_ and arousal that had been enveloping me the past few minutes and I immediately distinguished the person the voice belonged to.

"Oh shit. It's Sakura!" I exclaimed, quickly crawling out from underneath Gackt as I awkwardly raced to the phone.

"I'm riiiight outside your dooooor now!" I was about to pick up the receiver but realized that wouldn't do much good at this point if Sakura was literally right outside my door. And then I remembered I was half-naked.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I cursed, ineffectually trying to stuff my bobbing erection into my boxers, finding my crumpled leather pants on the ground and stumbling into them as I grabbed the nearest object to cover myself and raced to the door just as Sakura, quickly followed by Ken and Ein, tumbled into my house. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" I yelled and the three of them looked up at me with their drunken mugs.

Sakura stood up, wobbled a little and then clung onto me, all his weight pushing me until my back hit the wall. He reeked of sake and vodka and beer and I tried to push him off of me but it was to no avail because he was so drunk, he was like dead weight. Ken and Ein came to my assistance to yank Sakura off but he lashed out by swinging his arms around, sending them tumbling to the ground, and then lunged for me again. I tried to move out of the way but he had me cornered into the wall once more.

"What's this on your neck, Haido?" he slurred and leaned forward to lick the red mark left there last night from Gackt.

"Get off of me Sakura, you're drunk," I yelled, trying to push him away with one hand, the other hand still holding the small pillow I had kidnapped to cover myself with. Thankfully Ken and Ein were up off the floor now and pulled a stumbling Sakura away from me.

"Sorry Hyde," Ken apologized as Ein swung Sakura's arm around his neck to support him. "He asked if he could pick the next bar location and we said sure but I had no idea he was going to choose your _house_. And once we got here we couldn't catch him fast enough before he barged in…"

I just continued to stand up against the wall; my eyes wide, my hands tightly gripping the small cushion in front of myself and my poor neck feeling more violated in the past day than it had in my entire life.

"Is everything alright?" the usually quiet Ein asked as he stood holding a slumping Sakura.

"Oh? Oh yea… Yea, I'm fine." I stuttered helplessly.

"While we're here, can I use your crapper?" Ken asked, already starting to walk through the foyer.

Immediately I freaked out, knowing that Ken didn't know the way around my house better than anyone else who'd been here and the chances of him stumbling across a sated Gackt lying on my couch were probably pretty damn high at the moment.

"Ach, if you're going to do _that_, then let me drop Sakura off somewhere; he ist heavy!" Ein complained, dragging himself and Sakura slowly behind Ken.

"Wait-wait!" I yelled, rushing forward to stand in front of them and stop them from going any further. I probably looked damn ridiculous clutching that pillow in front of myself but I had no other choice right now, lest they wonder what the hell I'd been doing all night.

Ken gave me a peculiar glare, as though he could tell something was up and I realized my time to come up with an excuse and lead them as far away from Gackt as possible was being cut dangerously short, lest they discover the truth.

"This way…" I started, pushing them toward the grand parlor. Of all the rooms in my house, this was undoubtedly the stupidest place for me to take my 3 drunken friends right now. Ein didn't seem to care though as he tossed Sakura, who had since appeared to have fallen asleep, on the expensive leather couch behind him. Ken scratched his head as he looked around at the blue glass collectibles and other crazy expensive items sitting around the room.

"Um, so is your toilet not working… or…?" Ken asked, still leering at me strangely.

"Oh! Right… that…." I said, realizing that if I was going to get Ken to the bathroom, he was going to have to pass the living room. Although I had nothing against Ken knowing I associated myself with Gackt, the current situation – being my bizarre actions and a disheveled, lusty looking Gackt lounging around my house – would probably not go over so well. The only blessing right now was that Sakura seemed to have passed out. "I'll take you there," I concluded, reaching one arm around Ken's back to lead him out of the room as I continued to hold the pillow in front of me.

"Hyde…" Ken started as I quickly walked him past the living room and toward the end of the hall. "What's with the pillow?"

"Uh," I started, shuffling my feet fast along the ground. "I found it has a hole in it and I didn't want the stuffing to get everywhere so I'm going to fix it up." I lied, stopping and extending my arm out to the bathroom door.

Ken stood still for a while, glaring at me with the oddest expression. "Have you been drinking too?"

"No, why?"

"Just… wondering," he said, entering the bathroom and shutting the door. I let out a long sigh and stood there, wondering if I'd have the chance to quick check up on Gackt or at least shove him into a closet or something until my unexpected company left. I clicked my tongue as I tried to plan out the best way to successfully hide Gackt for a little while longer and not appear rude when I tossed my idiotic drunken friends out of the house.

Interrupting my thoughts, I heard a foreign voice echo through my house, "Wo bist du?" It was Ein, speaking in his native German tongue. What '_wo bist du' _meant, however, was beyond my knowledge. But then I saw him coming down the hallway toward me.

"Oi, where did Sakura go?" Ein asked me. I visibly paled.

"What do you mean where did he go? I thought he was passed out on the couch!" I yelled, trying not to lose control at the possibility of what was happening on the other side of my house right now.

"I vas looking at your ceramics and when I turned around, he vas gone." Ein explained. I cursed under my breath and began making my way back down the hallway, realizing I was able to discard the pillow now as my libido had rapidly dropped due to quite a turn of events.

I was almost dead sure that Sakura would be in the one place I wouldn't want him to be and it was without any uncertainty that I slowly let my feet lead me right to the living room. I tried to mentally prepare myself for what I might see – Sakura rudely berating Gackt, or Gackt looking flustered and uncomfortable and running away from Sakura, or maybe even the two of them just sitting there, getting along and laughing….

All those thoughts made me shudder so I took a deep breath and rounded the corner to see—

"Sakura!" I yelled, and he turned to face me, pulling the bottle of very expensive Boudreaux from his gob. "What are you doing?" I accused, making my way toward him and taking the bottle away as he slumped down on the couch – which I noted was somehow suddenly Gackt-less.

"Good wine… good year…" Sakura replied with a crooked grin.

"Haven't you had enough already?" I said, corking it and placing it back in the cabinet. He glanced up at me through weary eyes and I couldn't resist going over to the couch to sit next to him. I took a minute to look over him carefully – he was still the same Sakura I remembered from way back; in his black clothes with the black silken hair… his face was a little rounder now but he was still as lovely as ever. He turned to look at me and we shared a silent moment.

Ken and Ein had been standing in the hallway looking at us and Ken coughed loudly, getting both of our attention. Sakura slowly stood up and crookedly walked his way toward them.

"Sorry, Haido…" Sakura said quietly, not bothering to turn and face me as he apologized and after Ken waved to me, they all left.

I sat alone on the couch in the silence for a good while, letting the crazed moment fade before I realized that I had no idea where Gackt had disappeared to.

With an agitated grunt, I stood up, my feet slowly shuffling me toward the door at the far end of the room. Even if I were to find Gackt now, I was too tired and frustrated (both mentally and sexually) to get back into what we had started. The continual damper of my friends always barging in at the wrong times had killed my libido's drive.

I pushed through the swinging door that led to the kitchen to find my fridgerator wide open. Scratching my head I made my way to it when Gackt startled me as he stood up tall from behind the opened door.

"I found whipped cream in your fridge," he said, holding up the can.

It's no secret that I have a great love for food. And whether or not you consider _whipped cream_ to be part of the food pyramid, combine that with my current lust for Gackt and it was enough to make my entire body spring to attention.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

**_H_**ad I not caught the devious grin on Hyde's face I might have thought he was running away from the idea. But he had a most knowing smile before he dashed out of the room through the swinging door and so I pursued.

I chased him through the living room, unable to ignore the fact we were acting like horny teenagers, and followed him around the bend to the foyer and finally up the stairs.

_We're going to his bedroom_, I realized and my heart began to pump all the more wildly as I clutched the can in my hands.

However, when I reached the top of the stairs, I couldn't remember which way to go to get to his room.

"_Hyyyde_…" I called out, shaking the can and spraying some on my finger for a taste. "Where did you go…" The sugary flavor of the whipped cream actually made me wince a little, my teeth rejecting the sweetness. So I began to spray the whipped cream down the patch of skin between my opened shirt. "Hyde, you're going to have to come get this whipped cream off of me!" I playfully chimed, standing at the top of the stairs as I awaited his appearance. And just in that time I heard the front door open downstairs and-

"I think I left my cellpho--_oohhh_ my god!"

All I could see was a stunned Sakura standing in Hyde's foyer with an expression that probably matched my own. I thought about running but at this point any dignity I had was already gone as Sakura strangely eyed my whipped-cream-covered torso.

"I'm just… gonna…." Sakura stuttered, still standing awkwardly near the door.

I wanted to say something, to save myself, to fix the situation with a few words… but I honestly didn't know how speaking would fix anything.

"I… guess I… drank more than I realized…. I'll… get my phone… later…" Sakura stepped backwards as he nodded slowly to himself and disappeared out the front door.

When Hyde finally appeared I told him what had happened and decided that risking a third intrusion on our attempted night of passion was not worth it right now. As soon as he heard me mention Sakura's name he became frantic again and I didn't know if I had the energy at this point to get us back to where we left off.

Defeated, I sat on the couch, sliding on my shoes as Hyde wiped the whipped cream from my stomach with an agitated pout. I tried not to glance down at his pants as he cleaned me up and sighed loudly, sitting back on the couch as he finished. I looked at him with a sympathetic smile and leaned in for a goodbye kiss but Hyde pulled back, saying it would be better if we didn't.

I tried not to let his reaction bother me on my drive home.

_**T**_he next four days were spent wondering why Hyde was avoiding my phone calls and feeling too insecure about dropping by his home on a whim again. Finally, I had my management ring him, since he wasn't responding to my personal calls, and tell him that I arranged a meeting for all the key players of the movie project MOON – including him and his agent – that he was to attend in a few days. But I couldn't help but worry that things between us had started to become awkward.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

**_I_** began to wonder why I had been hanging around Gackt so much – unquenchable lust notwithstanding – because it seemed that the only things I ever got out of it were headaches (and yes, I mean that in every possible meaning of the word '_head_'). By all rights, the only reason I should have to see him is when it came to things dealing with the movie.

After the master disaster occurred that night at my house, I had spent the entire next day searching for Sakura's cell phone, then working out some way to get in touch with him to let him know that I found it and lastly figuring out a way to get it back to him without me having to actually stand face-to-face with him and ultimately, _explain things_. In the end it was all taken care of thanks to Ken, but not without an uncomfortable interrogation...

"_Never, not even when the whole drug thing went down, have I seen you guys act so strangely about each other. All I got out of Sakura was that 'he saw something he'd rather not discuss'. I don't know if I should believe him cuz you and I both know he was piss-ass drunk that night. But he's been acting weird ever since…"_

Ken's words continued to echo in my head the following day. I wanted to let time fizzle out what happened with Sakura at my house that night but part of me wished I had the balls to just tell him what was going on. I used to trust Sakura with my deepest secrets and now I couldn't even bear to see him. I told Ken not to have him call me and that I would call him… whenever I finally built up the courage, that is.

My own cellular was ringing off the hook but I chose to ignore it and when I checked the tally of missed calls at the end of the day, the winner was Gackt with a whopping 9 calls and 3 voicemails.

It's not that I didn't _want _to talk to Gackt because I knew eventually I was going to have to face the music –or should I say, the _movie_– and meet with him but at this point I was too nervous to be seen with him, as the last thing I wanted was another one of my friends getting insight to our secret rendezvous and the things, _though really I should say **lack** of things_, we were doing with each other. Perhaps some of the frustrations I was feeling in our 'relationship' were of sexual nature. Oh hell, I know they were. Already I'd been tormented twice when my opportunity of getting down and dirty with Gackt was shattered by my intruding friends. I wondered if it wouldn't be such a bad idea to change the locks on my door.

Another day passed and Megumi returned from her trip, praising me that the house was in such good order and that I didn't break, bust, damage, rip, or destroy anything, _surprisingly_. I had paid the maids extra not to tell her that I hired them for work twice while she was gone.

As I wandered around the house, taking care of record business and other dealings with my agent, I frequently bumped into Megumi during the day and while it was somewhat nice having her presence around, I couldn't help but feel continuously guilty of the things that had been occurring behind her back. The rational side of my brain started telling me that it would be best to end things with Gackt before they did go any further and stick strictly to the movie project.

On the fourth day since the '_incident_', I received a call from Gackt's management that I was to attend some special meeting dealing with the MOON movie. Part of me was anxious to see Gackt after such time and yet my brain battled with whether it was a pro or con that our meeting should be in the midst of 12 other men who held important functions in the ultimate process of the film. The con being that I wouldn't be able to have any serious discussions with Gackt and tell him that we had to end this now. The pro being that at least if I got any urges to start lusting over him again, having the other men in the room would curb those feelings and hopefully help me build up the strength I was needing to eventually tell him that there could be _no more_ between _us_.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**I**_ sat at the table, nervously drumming my fingers on it. From the far corner, one of the members of my camera crew, Miya, was lining up his camera to face the open, waiting, door. The MOON movie project was officially underway, now that I had all the contracts signed and I fully intended to have the entire process documented. My managers, a few key players from Nippon Crown and some head honchos from Shochiku sat at the table around me, anxiously opening and shutting their folders, flipping papers and tapping their pens.

It was unlike Hyde to be late. At least, I never assumed him to be the type to do such a thing, though as I pondered that thought, I realized that we'd never done anything with a set time, except for dinner the first time we met. And I recalled he_ was_ late for our dinner. I stood up from my chair and everyone's heads turned to look at me. I couldn't sit much longer, it was too nerve-racking. Just as I was pushing my chair back under the table I saw Miya raise a hand and the red light went on his camera. As I looked to the other side of the room sure enough, Hyde was just coming through the door. I rushed to his side, and just as I was leaning in I recalled the camera and turned what I had wanted to be a full embrace, into a manly sort of side hug. Hyde looked at me strangely as I did so and then angled his head away from me, noticing the camera in the corner.

"What the hell Gacchan?" he whispered.

"Don't worry about it, just act normal," I whispered back. I introduced the entire team to Hyde and vice versa as one of his managers stepped through the door behind us and took a seat at the table. As I went back to my chair, Hyde sat across from me and the camera man moved to capture all the action. Hurriedly I began discussing scenes and ideas for filming and Hyde interjected with his own thoughts as the men around us scribbled down everything we were saying. I announced to Hyde and the team that we had found our location and were to be filming in Taiwan. I noted Hyde's eyes widened a little in excitement as I mentioned it while the room filled with applause. Then, I had another announcement.

"I've also found a director for the movie," Everyone clapped once more. "Takahisa Zeze is the man who has agreed to film MOON."

Hyde was about to clap, but stopped when he noticed all the shocked expressions from the men in the room and the fact that no one else was clapping. I had to admit at being a little nervous on announcing the name of the semi-famous porn director. Considering I had a tight budget for the project, having to pay for everyone to come and stay in Taiwan and act in my film, and trouble finding interest from other directors, when Zeze contacted me and agreed, I would have been ridiculous to pass him up. I met eyes with Hyde briefly and his expression indicated that he had never heard of Zeze before, especially after I saw him shrug his shoulders at me. But noticing some of the other men in the room were obviously familiar with the name and the crude movies the director was attached to, they were unsure how to react. I had to soften the blow.

"He's also agreed to put his own additional funding into our movie project," I said and awaited the smiles and appreciation that soon followed as some of the men stood and began to congratulate me. It's amazing how in this business a little bit of money always works wonders. Hyde was still sitting, the moment prior seemingly confusing him as he was watching the bustle around us and the men loudly talked amongst themselves, packing up their items and bowing to me before they left. Throughout the commotion, I'd occasionally glance over at Hyde who seemed to be staring at the camera now. The camera guy asked him to give a wave but Hyde responded at him a weird look and told him to shut it off. Laughing, Miya turned off his camera and unhooked it from the tripod, taking it down to shove into its bag. As the last business suit left the room I sighed and placed my hands on my hips just as Hyde had finally decided to stand up from the table.

"Gackt-san," I heard and Miya was soon handing me a large-lensed camera.

"What am I to do with this?" I said with a small laugh.

"Your agent told me that he thinks you should release a photobook for the project as well," Miya said as he folded the tripod into its compact state.

"Why of course. That's a fantastic idea," I replied, turning the camera around in my hands. "Can I take the first photo?"

"Sure if you want," Miya responded with a smile as he hoisted the large camera bag over his arm. I looked over to Hyde.

"What?" he said, standing behind the chair he was just sitting in. "Oh no you don't!"

"Come on Hyde. There's no need for formality here, I just want to take the first photo on this camera," I pulled the lens cap off and held it up to my eye. "Help me break its virginity and give it a smile,"

"Do I look like I'm ready for a photo?" Hyde protested. As I played with a function on the camera, Hyde slipped out the door and when I looked up again, he was gone.

"Hey, get back here!" I said, heading out of the room where I found him standing up against the wall in the hallway. I stood staring at him for a while and he just looked back up at me. Slowly I lifted the camera to my eye and Hyde started shaking his head right when I took the picture.

I've no doubt it came out as a blur but I had no time to take another as Miya was now standing behind me to take the camera back and Hyde had slipped away down the hallway into the restroom.

"Let me know when the next big get together is so I can take more footage. I think what I got today would be good insight to the very beginnings of the project," Miya started as I handed the camera over to him.

"Thank you Miya. It's will be a little while yet, as the next time you see me my hair will be different. I'll send you some information on the trip to Taiwan and make sure to inform my staff you'll be sharing the room with them,"

"Oh wow, nothing until Taiwan, ne? Well ok. By the way, Shochiku wants some footage to be documentary style to air on TV as promotion closer to the release, so I'll have to get some interviews from you guys as well." Miya placed the lens cap back on the camera.

"There's plenty of time for that yet. Let's not worry about it now. We'll straighten the details out when we get to Taiwan," I pat Miya on the back and he bowed to me and left. I turned to go down the hallway and popped into the restroom in search of Hyde but he had already disappeared.

It had certainly been my most formal meeting with Hyde yet, despite the fact we were dressed as casual as ever, no hair styles or make-up on our persons. Unfortunately the most contact I had from him was our awkward guy-hug when he first entered the room an hour or more ago. I began to wonder if having Miya film everything was going to put a strain on our relations. Now I was left alone in a large empty room with nothing but my cell phone. Flipping it open, I left Hyde a quiet message about how wonderful I thought he looked dressed-down today and then mentioned his amazing mouth and what it does to me before hanging up.

_**A**_ few days later I had a phone message from Hyde – the first one in over a week, saying my management called his management to arrange a photoshoot of the both of us and an official statement for the magazines that we were now going to be working together on the movie. Listening to his uptight voice on my machine made me stop in my tracks, realizing that from now on, most of the time we spent together was going to be documented, photographed, and shown to the world. I tried to remain professional and think of the wonders it would do for our promotion, especially once our fans discovered the news. But deep inside, I hated the notion of broadcasting all my time spent with Hyde to the media. Already it was feeling like things between us were changing.

* * *

_Sorry for the longer wait on this chapter's release but I hope you enjoyed parts of this one. You'll further get to see how this movie business is putting a strain on Hyde and Gackt's budding relationship in the next chapter. And we'll soon be in Taiwan, so start packing your bags!_


	7. Chapter 6 ' second thoughts, first fight

**Chapter 6 **

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_**A**_ week after the most awkward business meeting and photo shoot I'd ever had, I received a very formal-looking letter, addressed to me from Gackt. Megumi made a huge deal over its arrival and insisted on standing next to me while I opened it. I was nervous about it since I really had no idea what was inside and whether this letter from Gackt was dealing with the movie or for something personal, was unknown. I tried making several excuses about opening my mail at this time but Megumi threatened that if I didn't do it now, she was going to do it.

Thankfully the letter mentioned nothing about my mouth or lips or tongue that Gackt had commented on me using _so well_ in the voice message he recently left, but rather a formal invitation to an exclusive dinner tomorrow night to meet with the entire cast and staffing team of MOON. It was elite, stating that only the cast members were allowed and that any of our spouses or significant others were going to have to stay home. I silently thanked Gackt for making that note known on the letter, but Megumi seemed rather upset when she read it.

"Considering you talk a lot about working so closely with this Gackt fellow, I can't help but wonder why I haven't met him yet." She went to the other side of the room, picking up the latest magazine from our stack of mail this morning which contained a couple small images of Gackt and I sitting together in front of a red backdrop and the words _HYDE x Gackt_ and _MOON_ written in big print across the one-page article spread. "Oh but I guess _this _is your response to that? Hideto, why don't you ever introduce me to the people you work with?!" she bitched, tossing the magazine at me as she turned on her heel.

"You said you wanted PRIVACY in our relationship!" I yelled back as she went up the stairs. I shook my head and picked up the magazine, briefly eyeballing the photos and Gackt's colorful quotations about how wonderful the film is going to be and how he wants everyone to open their hearts to what we are going to show and come support the film when it's released. _Blah, blah, blah_.

My eyes went back to the main photo. Of the two times I've been officially photographed with Gackt I couldn't help but think how unlike my rock star image I was looking now. Last time I had on some baggy trousers and a long duster sweater. This time I was wearing an old comfortable hoodie and covering my yellow locks. I started to realize that my plain imageries – the soft images for the _Roentgen_ CD and now these dorky photos with Gackt – were not going to help my solo career pull through if I wanted to gain back my Laruku fanbase. I pulled out my phone and called the director of my _Hydeist_ website, telling them to contact Gackt's people and have them get me a photographer and a spot on the staff list. It was time to step up my game and involve _my_ fans more too. If Gackt was having someone film our every move, it shouldn't be a problem for me to have my personal photographer track me across Taiwan either.

As I hung up I realized what a promotional swing I had just put into my 'summer side project with Gackt'. I worried that the more we were getting involved in this, the less it was feeling like branching out to try something new and more like a huge, desperate promotional stunt. I sighed and went back to eyeballing my formal letter.

Many of the names on this sheet were actually familiar to me; Suzuki Anne, Yamamoto Taro, Wang Lee Hom… though there was one, Takahisa Zeze, which I didn't recognize, only heard of when Gackt mentioned him at our meeting last week. I had meant to do some research but never had the chance and figured I could ask one of the staff what the controversy was about. As much as I didn't pay attention to the movie business all that much, the other names were popular actors and I was suddenly feeling incredibly cautious about how I'd fit in.

_**T**_he next night I took a deep breath as I prepared to go out, fixing my jacket and wondering if I would either look too dressed up, not dressed enough, or simply be regarded as '_that rockstar guy'_. Whatever. I felt comfortable and figured you could never go wrong in all black. I stood at the doorway, checking my appearance in the mirror before heading outside to get in the limo and ride over to the Roppongi Mori Tower in uptown Tokyo to meet with Gackt and be introduced to the rest of my cast mates for the movie. I wondered if I'd have an opportunity to have a serious chat with Gackt, away from the crowd. Already I'd held these feelings in too long and didn't want to break it to him over the phone. Maybe tonight I'd finally be relieved of the thoughts plaguing my mind.

As I rode in the limo, I kept thinking about how my life was about to change in the next two months – being around Gackt even more than I was now (and having not yet told him I want to end things), with a cast full of people I'd only ever seen through a big screen, living in Taiwan – and having a camera everywhere we went to both film and document whatever we did. Besides the uncomfortable feeling _that_ gave me, I really didn't know anything about Taiwan other than it had a reputation for being ungodly hot, especially in the months we were to be there (_go figure_). Plus my Chinese was something that I had butchered quite often in the past and I wondered how well I'd get along with my foreign cast mates and the rest of the population.

As my limo pulled up to the restaurant, I prepared myself for the possible paparazzi hanging around as I dashed into the building through the secret backdoor, riding the elevator to the upper levels and the restaurant we were to dine in. I stood in the foyer outside the restaurant, taking a deep breath and preparing myself for what ever may come next. Just as I was about to step in I felt a hand clutch tightly on my shoulder. I turned around quickly to see Gackt standing behind me; his eyes were covered with a set of dark glasses but he held his chin high as he faced forward. He had on an impressive suit, tie and all, and it made me feel severely underdressed standing next to him. But above all that the first thing I noticed was his hair – it was no longer bleached blond but tinted to an auburn hue with some blond highlights and it appeared that he had some extensions, tied neatly into colorful braids, in the back. I tried not to wince at the weird new style he was donning but admitted in my head that it would definitely take some time to get used to.

In our close proximity, I could smell his _Egoiste_ fragrance, appearing to be piled on stronger than usual, and tried to ignore the intoxicating effect it had on me.

"Why don't we enter the room together, Hyde," Gackt said, enunciating his words slowly.

"Ok…" I responded and started to step forward, but Gackt kept his hand firmly on my shoulder and prevented me from getting anywhere.

"Wait… I want to make sure everyone is seated so we can make a grand entrance." He replied, turning his chin up even more at the statement. I started to wonder what was going through his mind right now as I decided to pull out my own sunglasses to shield my eyes as well. As we stood there, looking like the _Men in Black_, I calmed my breathing again as Gackt pulled open the door and we stepped through it together.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**A**_s Hyde and I walked side-by-side through the giant crystalline doors of the Roppongi Mori Tower's finest restaurant on the 48th floor, I felt a great swell of pride when my fellow cast mates and staff turned to look at us. I walked smoothly across the ground, feeling as though I was floating toward them and I noted Hyde next to me walking as casual and cool as he always appeared.

Wang Lee Hom stood up first and started to clap, causing a chain reaction as the rest of the cast members across the table mimicked his actions. Hyde and I bowed to them and then took our seats, me next to Wang Lee Hom and Hyde next to Zeny Kwok. I heard him say hello to her and she responded quietly as I began to engage in simple Chinese with Lee Hom. Across from Hyde sat our director Zeze-san and then Taro was across from me. I was happy with the placement since these were the people I was going to be spending most of my screen time with.

As I sat there, I couldn't help but be reminded how You-kun turned down the offer to attend, even after I thought I had convinced him to join us. Even though he had a minor part in the film, he was an important member of the cast and I wanted him to be there, even if just for support more than anything. The vibes I had been feeling from Hyde lately were less than friendly and when I tried to discuss it with You, he wasn't much help, stating that he told me not to get involved from the start and I should have listened to him.

Everyone at the table engaged in friendly conversation except for Hyde who couldn't seem to correctly communicate with Zeny's very limited Japanese. He tried to open dialogue with the director, but Zeze is a quiet man so it didn't go very far. Finally we were served our meals which allowed everyone to escape the early awkward stage of our meet and greet and busy themselves with their food. Throughout the meal I caught most of the staff giving Hyde awkward glances. I tried to ignore it.

My mind was also circling around the fact that I was determined to get some alone time with Hyde tonight. His avoidance of my phone calls had been nothing short of aggravating but it wasn't something I could bring up in front of the crew. I purposely neglected to invite Miya and his all-documenting camera to our dinner this evening, noting that it would likely feel intrusive as we tried to get to know each other. As our seats were being cleared and we awaited desert, Taro opened conversation with Hyde.

"You're so quiet, Hyde. I expected you to be loud and obnoxious," Taro said with a grin.

"Odd, that's what I was expecting from you," Hyde quipped.

"You're so much different in person than you appear on the WOWOW channel," Taro replied, ignoring Hyde's stab back at him. "Not to mention shorter."

As I sipped on my sake, nonchalantly watching them interact, I noticed Hyde's jaw tighten at the jab of his height.

"I mean, you look short on screen too," Taro unnecessarily continued, "But when you walked in with Gackt I was really surprised how tiny you are-"

"Everyone looks small around me," I interrupted, causing them to look over at me as they realized I was listening in on their conversation.

"So how are our Taiwan room arrangements going to be? Do I get to share a room with Zeny? Or maybe _chibi_ here, I wouldn't mind that." Taro said, pointing at Hyde before leaning his elbows on the table as he turned his attention to me. I heard Hyde growl under his breath.

"Hyde won't be sharing his room with anyone, except for maybe me occasionally," I replied casually with a grin, and noticed out of the corner of my eye how red Hyde's face quickly became. Taro's mouth formed an 'O' and he laughed in jest.

"So that's how you get top bill! I knew I was sleeping with the wrong people all along!" Taro replied through his laughter. Hyde jumped slightly in his seat and I guessed from Taro's face that he had kicked him from under the table.

"Hyde, laugh with us," I said, nudging Hyde with my elbow, hoping he wasn't offended at what I said.

"Can't you even take a joke?" Taro asked him, pouring a small cup full of sake and holding it out for Hyde. "Or maybe you need more alcohol in your system, here,"

Hyde ignored Taro. "Wait, wait, I'm top bill? Gackt, why isn't your name first?" he asked, looking up at me in confusion.

"I told you, you're the star. You're my vampire Kei – you have the most prominent role in this film," I replied in earnest.

"But--" Hyde seemed to want to argue it but he wasn't sure what to say. Taro was now leaning over the table, practically spilling the sake into Hyde's mouth.

"Geez, didn't you hear him? You're the star! It's not a bad thing, trust me!" Hyde took the sake cup from Taro and sat it down in front of him.

"Excuse me," Hyde said, standing from the table to leave. I watched him go, confused at his strange reaction as Taro reached back over and took the warm sake, downing it quickly.

"Ok for real though – do I get to share a room with someone or what?" Taro's loud voice interrupted me from watching Hyde leave. "Taiwan is far away from home and a guy can get lonely. Some of your staff members are quite pretty…" His voice faded away as he looked around the table.

Despite how honest or teasing Taro was being, all I could think of at that moment was Hyde and how perhaps this would be my chance to get some time away with him. Politely I excused myself from the table and made my way out, trying to wager where Hyde went off to. I decided to check the men's room first.

Sure enough as soon as I entered, there was Hyde; his hands on the sink as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

"_Doushita no_?" I quietly asked from my position near the door. Hyde didn't respond, just continued to stare at his mirrored image. I walked to him, moving until he could see my face in the mirror also. "Hyde… please talk to me. I don't understand your actions as of late,"

He sighed and moved away, going to the far end of the restroom to lean on the wall near the window and pushing it open slightly to let in some cool air.

I had to pursue. "I've barely seen you this last week and in those times I did, you've been stand-offish toward me. Is it something I did? Surely you must have something to say to me, it's been so long sin-"

"I have lots I need to say to you," Hyde interrupted, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and sticking it in his mouth. "I just… don't know how to start." He lit his cigarette and exhaled the first puffs of smoke out the small slot from the window. "And I'm not sure now is the time or place,"

"Then when?" I asked, stepping closer to him and trying to hold back my anger over his attitude toward me. "You don't answer my phone calls and you never meet with me anymore unless it's related to the movie. So when is the time and place then Hyde?"

"Look," Hyde started, standing up straight. "I'm here because of the movie, ok? I'm in the movie and you're in the movie, therefore we're together right now. But outside of this movie stuff…"

I swallowed the huge lump that had formed in my throat as he spoke. The way Hyde was just talking, it sounded as though…

"There is no '_US_' Gackt, okay? I can't do that. I'm… I'm married and I have a career to uphold and… I just can't." I noted Hyde's hand shaking as he moved to take another drag from his cigarette.

Inside my heart started to break but I tried to remain calm on the exterior. Just as I was about to retaliate with something, the door opened and Zeze walked in, eyeing us strangely. I bowed to him and moved to the sink, pretending to wash my hands as the director disappeared into a stall.

Hyde continued to smoke casually at his spot near the window. I could sense in the eager way he was inhaling and exhaling from the cigarette that his nerves were on edge. I wanted to toss the cigarette out and take Hyde's small body in my arms, hugging him and telling him that we _could _be together, that we _would_ work things out…

I walked over to the paper towel dispenser near Hyde's side and tried to approach the subject calmly as I spoke softly. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But even so, you're still my friend, Hyde. And friends don't ignore their friends phone calls," I quietly berated him as I dried my hands.

"Well _friends_ don't leave their friends voice messages about_ tonguing_ each other either!" Hyde bit as he whispered at me just as Zeze was exiting the stall and giving us another peculiar glance. I smiled at Zeze as he went to wash his hands and then the short director quickly ducked out.

I turned back to Hyde. "At the very least, you could at least tell me why this sudden change came over you. A week ago you couldn't keep your hands off of me and now-"

"It's reality Gackt, ok? A week ago I was alone in my house and this movie project was nothing but my word and my name on a slip of paper. Now my wife is back and the whole of Japan knows there's a movie coming and there are cameras following us around! My friends are starting to make assumptions." Hyde yelled, keeping his tone at a minimum.

"Assumptions." I spat. "Like what, that you hang out with me? That you kiss me like no one has ever kissed me before? That you wanted me to get you off?" Hyde's face was coloring but I wasn't sure if it was from what I was saying or because he was becoming angry. "I'd say those are valid assumptions, what with the way you move those hips."

"We were fucking drunk," he retorted, burning up the last of his cigarette.

"Not the last time we weren't. And if it weren't for these _friends_ of yours I can imagine things would have gone a _lot_ further--"

"Well I'm glad they didn't! Don't you see Gackt? We're_ men_ with highly successful careers. This movie is going to promote the shit out of us and the media is going to spotlight our lives more than it ever has- _ever_. I can't risk being seen with you, much less doing _THAT_." Hyde finished, tossing his cigarette stub out the window and pushing it shut. "Whatever you may have thought we had is **over**."

Hyde pushed past me roughly, leaving me to stand alone in the smokey restroom.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_**I**_ couldn't decipher whether the movie dinner was a success or a failure.

In my own mind, it was a success because I finally had the guts to tell Gackt we were through. Though I was hardly expecting to get into such an argument in the bathroom of all things. I was hoping to simply pull him aside at the end of the night and explain that we had to end it for our own sake. Somehow he walked in on me angsting in the restroom and we got into a battle of words.

Regardless of the way it went down, I told Gackt we were over. Since that had been my goal from more than a week ago, I considered that a success.

The failure part comes in because after our argument took place, Gackt acted so unlike himself that even the new cast members noticed it. He was giving people short and sometimes snippy-sounding answers to their serious questions about the film. I noticed that Gackt did try to remain professional but that's about all there was to it. His usual caring nature was gone, probably drowned beneath the sake he kept drinking throughout the night.

I had never felt so uncomfortable being with him (_and yes, that includes the times I was near-naked in his presence_) because I couldn't help but feel responsible for his sudden mood swing. As the party drew to an end, I excused myself early, making up the excuse that I had important work to tend to early in the morning. Everyone kindly said their goodbyes and that they were anticipating meeting me again. Everyone, except for Gackt.

Riding in the limo I tried to push away how badly it was bothering me that Gackt didn't even say goodbye. He was angry, he was probably somewhat drunk… but he said earlier that night that he wanted to still be friends so his complete ignorance of my departure pissed me off. I leaned my head on my shoulder to catch some rest on the ride home but as I did, I was instantly alerted of the familiar, stimulating scent of Gackt's_ Egoiste_ cologne, probably somehow left from his intense grip on my shoulder at the start of the night.

I inhaled deeply, enjoying the fragrance so much that I tried to will my brain to associate the scent with something other than Gackt. But its intense aroma left me no choice, as all I could picture whenever I smelled it was his full lips on mine, his warm hands on my body, his eyes baring into my soul…

I shook myself out of the trance, cracking open the window to let some fresh air in and drive the heady perfume out of my nostrils. But I was already too affected by my own devious thoughts, so much that I began having the slightest feelings of regret for what I said to Gackt tonight…

_No_. I have to be strong. It's ridiculous to think anything between us should ever work. I tried to think of all the times we'd been interrupted from taking things further and how they were pointing at me like some glaring neon sign and that it was time I adhered to it. No. No more. All there is now is this movie. This movie which is going to skyrocket my stardom. This movie which is going to grow me a huge fanbase and sell my records better than ever...

This movie which is going to really test my endurance to resist Gackt.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**H**_is fingers trailing through my hair was a numbing sort of relaxation, allowing me to forget my problems and unwind.

"Are you excited to go to Taiwan?" he quietly asked as I lay with my head on his lap, his hand stroking my head and his fingers tangling in my hair. My eyes remained shut and I focused on the sensations. "Gakkun?"

"Yes. Yes I am excited, You-kun," I finally responded. "Are you?"

"I've never been to Taiwan, so yes." He replied, pushing the bangs out of my eyes, even though they fell right back into place there. "Although it's going to be really strange, being there for a week to film scenes and then leaving you there for the next two months on your own,"

"I'll hardly be on my own," I said with a smile. "My staff will be there and all the cast members…"

"And Hyde." You interjected, his hands stopping. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

I sat up slowly, and You brushed the hairs from my face, taking time to fix the side of my hair that I had been lying on. "You-kun, I'll be fine. I've been dreaming of this movie for so long, not to mention Hyde's role in it. I'm sure within time he will realize this and we'll become close friends again,"

"And not something more than that?" You asked, a strange tone to his voice. I gave him a look as I stood up from the couch.

"Hyde has made it very clear where he stands," I started, stretching my arms upward. I headed out of the break room and back into the recording studio.

"Yes, where_ he_ stands but what about you?" You began, following me into the large padded room.

I simply glanced at him as he entered the room, then picked up my acoustic guitar and placed it in its carry bag. "I should really get going, I have to meet up with the director at the Shochiku Studios." As I hoisted the strap over my shoulder, You came to my side.

"I'm sorry I didn't go with you to the dinner last night. But I am always here to talk if you need anything, you know that." You gave me a small smile.

"Always?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows as I looked at him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't more helpful before. I just don't want to see you get hurt, Gakkun. I'm only looking out for-"

"-my best interests, I know." I said, completing his sentence. I leaned forward and You-kun gave me a hug, careful not to disrupt the guitar bag slung around my shoulder.

Sitting in my car as I drove to the studio, I couldn't help but be plagued with thoughts of Hyde. But they weren't happy times, like the script reading or the cigarette sharing or the bodily groping. Instead all I could see was his cold eyes looking at me and telling me '_whatever you may have thought we had is over_'.

It wasn't a pleasant memory, unlike the others I would have rather been imagining, where Hyde was always warm to hold and soft-mouthed to feel, with big, soul-searching eyes. In these visions his stance was unwelcoming, his mouth was sharp, and his eyes were soulless. He felt so very unlike the lovable Hyde I had grown to care so much for and more like the hard-faced rockstar Hyde I had seen in the magazines and on the stage.

I hated whenever thoughts of my dream movie turning into a huge promotional stunt invaded my mind and right now they were entering that territory. Granted there was no denying what amazing success the film would bring to us, regardless of its box office takings, but my goal of working closely alongside Hyde being seen as some gigantic push to publicize who we were was not the way I wanted to envision things.

But Hyde's current disposition toward me was making it feel that way.

I couldn't help but think of the prickly words we exchanged in the restroom the night prior, myself never expecting to ever get into such an argument with Hyde. Especially not over a relationship that had barely begun. I tried to reason that he was just feeling cautious because of all the things that had happened around us. Naturally I, and most of the country, tended to neglect his wife altogether so I hadn't given it thought to being a selling point in the reasons we couldn't be together. And his friends barging in at the most inopportune times wasn't showing much promise toward our eventual consummation, but I didn't ever think those things would cause Hyde to suddenly see me as nothing but a _co-star_.

The thought of relating ourselves as nothing but two big stars who just _happened_ to work together on a movie sent shudders through my body. Not only would it be bad for promotional reasons, as much as I hated to think of it that way, but it was also going to show quite vividly on the film between our characters Sho and Kei. The tender budding of our chemistry that shown so clearly on the screen test would all be lost if there was an existing animosity between us. Our deeper emotions would be clear through the big screen and have an overall effect on the entire movie. And that was something I couldn't possibly sacrifice.

I made it up in my mind at that moment that I was going to have to patch things up with Hyde somehow, even if we simply became nothing more than friends. He already shot down my dream for having him all to myself and that was something I was going to have to accept, but I would not settle for less than friendship. We needed that, at the very least. Not only would it bring some peace to my soul, but it was also for the sake of the movie.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_**A**_ mere few hours before I was about to leave for Taiwan and I was suddenly having more second-thoughts than ever.

The last time I remembered being this nervous about something was the day of my wedding, but I couldn't back out because I was technically contractually obliged, both by the license we had signed that morning and the fact that my management would have my head if I ran the other direction from this supposed 'promotional gold'. _Ugh, if only I knew then what I know now_…

And now yet again I was bound to this _marriage_ of sorts with Gackt's movie by a damn slip of paper containing my name and my agent looming over me with dollar-signs in his eyes. He was continually convincing me that this was going to be fantastic for my career, especially with my _Hydeist_ photographer following me around everywhere I went. But the fact that not only was I going to have my own photographer, but also Gackt's photographers and rolling cameras following my every move was enough to make me queasy in the stomach.

Naturally being in the limelight was nothing new for me. Having cameras trail me was nothing new either. It was the prospect of being away for a summer and trying something new, that could help to make or break my solo career (regardless of what my agent said) and having all of _that _documented that bothered me. Not only that, but the fact that most of the time, Gackt was going to be at my side.

Even though we 'broke up' (and I use the term mildly) more than a week ago, I couldn't stop thinking about him. Of course it didn't help that every other phone call or interview I was involved in brought up the topic, but even on my own time and especially in my dreams, Gackt was there. Yes, my dreams. And yes, they were _those kind_ of dreams. You can't really blame me though, given the fact that I'd had his groin shoved into mine on more than one occasion.

I knew that it was only a short while now (7_ hours, 3 minutes and 19 seconds… um, judging by the clock_) until I was going to be face-to-face with him again and just the thoughts of how awkward we might be around each other were causing my stomach to flop. I didn't want things to be awkward between us. I just didn't quite want to reach that comfort level that would possibly make me want to elevate things to something serious again.

But then what ever caused me to react that way in the first place? Before I associated myself with Gackt all I knew was that he appeared to be a media whore with a few good songs, an amazing body that just _had_ to be fake, and frankly, someone I would never picture myself in the same room with for more than five minutes without going insane.

And yet in the short while of being around him I quickly changed all that to realizing that he really knew his stuff when it came to promotion, he had an amazing repertoire of songs with gorgeous lyrics, a _killer_ body that was totally all his, and he was someone that I would trade _anything_ to spend just another five minutes in the presence of.

Especially if those few minutes involved his mouth on mine or his hands on--

My agent called me out for daydreaming again and I apologized, saying that I probably needed a break and after donning some dark sunglasses and a jacket much too warm for this time of year, I went downtown to the coffee shop and ordered a latte.

Considering I had told Gackt that I was in this just for the movie now, I was going to have to stop having these mid-day fantasies involving him and other parts of his body. The brief teases of visual pleasure were killing my attention span and if I was to be of any use on a movie set, I was going to have to learn to focus.

No doubt that was going to prove to be hard (_no pun intended_). This was going to be more difficult than it already was considering that in about six hours I'd always be a mere few feet away from the man invading my very thoughts. As I returned to my agent's office, we went over the last of the work he wanted to cover and he let me go, telling me to 'be good in Taiwan'.

I traveled home, finishing up the rest of my latte during the drive, and making a few calls to friends like Tetsu and Yuki to say my goodbyes. I delayed calling Ken at first, wondering if he would be in the presence of Sakura, and therefore making my conversation feel formal rather than friendly since Ken almost always put me on speaker phone (_something I really wish he'd stop, as it's created many awkward situations in the pas_t) but thankfully he was alone at the time. But he did tell me that Sakura was acting like himself again and said that he'd really love for me to give him a call sometime.

I pondered the sincerity of Sakura's statement and even considered giving him a call but I was already practically home so I made a mental note to weigh the option later. As I returned home, I shuffled my way up the stairs when I found Megumi in my room.

"What are you doing?" I asked, wondering why she was in there since I always told her to stay away from my personal space.

"I'm packing your things, Hideto," she remarked, folding some of my clothes and stuffing them into a suitcase.

I glanced into the luggage to find half my wardrobe sitting neatly inside. "Jesus, how the hell did you fit all of that in there?"

"Packing is an art," she said, neatly stuffing another item of mine into the suitcase with ease. I guess she should know, considering how often she disappeared from the house for days or weeks at a time. "I figured I'd help you out some."

I couldn't deny being impressed and also relieved that she saved me nearly all the trouble of having to do such an act myself. But two months is a long time to be away so I wondered if Megumi had some other intentions behind all of this. I sat on my messy, un-made bed and watched her place the rest of my jeans into the suitcase before she stepped back and sighed in accomplishment.

"Ok, so what do you want?" I asked as she stood there, hands on her hips.

"What do you mean?" she asked, eyeing me strangely.

"There's no reason you'd suddenly be all nice like this without wanting something out of it. Is there some kind of really expensive jewelry made in Taiwan that you need or something?" I droned, standing up from the bed and shutting the lid of the suitcase.

"Hideto! Firstly, I am your wife so it is my job to do things like this for you," she said with a sweet smile, moving to step closer to me. _It is? Then why haven't I taken advantage of it before?!_ "Secondly, I don't know if there is a special Taiwanese jewelry but if there is I'm sure you'd buy me some as a souvenir anyway, wouldn't you?" She wrapped her hands around my waist and batted her eyes at me. I cocked an eyebrow.

"And lastly," she continued. "You're going to be gone for two months. I have total reign over this house without your imbecile friends barging in or your drunken parties destroying my living room, or your deafening guitar and unruly singing to interrupt my book reading. That's a treat in and of itself," She grinned.

I pulled away from her fake embrace with a sneer, turning to zip up the luggage. "Yea well enjoy your time alone."

"And you enjoy your time with Gackt," she said with a small giggle. I spun around to look at her.

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," she said, her face looking surprised from my stunned reaction. "But how many people get to go on vacation to a lovely beach locale with the infamous and gorgeous Gackt? Thousands of fangirls would kill to be you right now. And probably some fanboys too..."

"Yea, well it's not going to be all fun and games and romps on the beach," I started, chiding myself inwardly at use of the term '_romp_' as I pulled the heavy suitcase off my bed where it landed on the ground with a thump. "We're also filming a _movie_ by the way…remember?" I went to the end of the room, grabbing my acoustic guitar case and making sure I had several picks in store.

"Taiwan is so humid right now. Are you going to be okay with all that heat?" she asked, almost derogatorily, following me as I wheeled the luggage out of my room.

"Well I'm just going to have to deal with it," I responded, stopping as I reached the top of the stairs. "But then I'm used to having to deal with things I can't stand so it shouldn't be anything new." Megumi narrowed her eyes at me as I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the limo driver to come get my stuff. I snapped the phone shut and turned to face my wife. "Try not to bother me with meaningless things while I'm gone. Meaning, don't call me." I said.

She protruded her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "What if something important happens? Like someone should happen to destroy your precious guitars?" I saw an evil glare in her eyes.

"If anybody does that I will personally kill them when I come back. But they'll have to await their death. Because as of now," I started, putting on my sunglasses. "I am officially on vacation," I stomped down the stairs carrying my guitar case just as my limo driver entered and passed me on his way up, grabbing my suitcase and bringing it down with him.

"Don't you fool around in Taiwan, Hideto!" Megumi yelled after me as I exited the door.

Fool around? Well it was a novel idea, what with being away from the ball-and-chain in another country for a couple of months. And it's not like it was something that hadn't crossed my mind, both when I was 'with' Gackt and even now in our separation, given that he was continuously filling my mind with thoughts of things we did and the possibility of where those things could have gone…

But no, I had already sworn off any sort of interaction with Gackt that was beyond what was required for me for the movie.

Although, maybe this is where I should mention that I finally got around to researching Zeze-san, our fearless director. Apparently the guy does have a reputation that his fans are quite pleased with but… well, how do I put this. He's not exactly your average director. His films are the ones you'd find in the back rooms of movie stores – you know, when you go to the far corner and through the dark curtains that have the giant 'H' above them. As in _H for Hentai_.

Zeze-san is an ecchi film director. A man who makes PORN films. _This_ was the director of our movie.

Perhaps it's a good thing I wasn't talking to Gackt at this time. When I made the discovery I was so appalled I ended up breaking the thing nearest my laptop and had Gackt been around visiting as he used to, it's very possible I would have injured him. Severely.

The awkward reactions of the business men in that meeting a week ago had suddenly made sense to me. I knew the script pretty well by now, having worked on and edited it myself, and despite the gay undertones and subtext laced between Sho and Kei's relationship (_which gave me a weird feeling every time I imagined Gackt sitting in his dark house writing this story like some sad fanfiction author_) there wasn't any calling for any such scene that Zeze-san _excelled_ at.

All I could do was ignore the small knot in my stomach and push off the disturbing thoughts that the script had changed under the hands of our director to include a lusty moment of groping and whorish moaning and sticky substances between Sho and Kei in an attempt to rekindle their unorthodox relationship.

Funny, how sometimes the characters lives were not all that far from a mirrored image of Gackt and I. Not that I expected to rekindle anything between _us_ quite to that level but the fact that I was going to be away from my wife and my friends and virtually everyone who knew me to hang around Gackt and his damned amazing smelling _Egoiste _cologne and be in the heat of Taiwan which would likely present opportunities for less clothing and many more sights of Gackt's amazing body…

I rested in the back of the limo trying to ignore my sexually active brain as we neared the airport, placing a hat on my head to cover my freshly re-dyed blond locks. Many things were going to change in a matter of hours.

And fooling around in Taiwan? As much as I was telling myself '**no**', if it _was_ to happen, well, that was yet to be seen…

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**I**_ looked out the window of my private jet as the scenery of Taiwan was coming into view. It looked absolutely gorgeous, more than I could have imagined it being this time of year, and my stomach fluttered in anticipation.

I knew that a few of the other cast members and staff would be arriving today as well and I was excited to meet with everyone again. But none more than Hyde.

I hadn't seen him nor spoken with him since our falling out at the cast dinner a week ago and all day I had been practicing things to say to him to help 'break the ice', as it were. It felt like we were starting all over again and yet the first time I met him I wasn't feeling anywhere near this anxious.

As we descended I grabbed my small carry-on bag and stepped off the plane, filling my lungs with a deep breath of Taiwanese air. The weather was warm of course, the humidity instantly filling my pores and creating a cave of heat around my body. I followed the staff to the hotel, who had called ahead to check us in so I could slip by and get to the safety of my room with no one noticing. Although the media was aware we were to begin filming soon, exact dates and locations were not disclosed in hopes of avoiding the stalking paparazzi for a few more days.

My room was fairly large, having the upper corner suite on the top level. The 'living space' was decent, with two couches and a nice long coffee table. I sat my guitar on the one couch and dropped some essentials – cigarettes, water, and phone – on the table in front of it as I left to check out the balcony. After opening the curtains and the large glass doors, I stepped outside onto the balcony, back into the heat of the country and took in my new surroundings that would become a familiarity in the next two months. From below I could faintly hear children running around, cars passing by and yet in the warm breeze there was a peacefulness that seemed to exist around me. I went back inside, and picked up my phone, wondering if Hyde had arrived yet and pondering if I should bother calling him to find out.

Hyde's room was directly below mine. I would have liked to have him right next door but there was only one master suite on this floor and I wanted him to be granted with his own suite for our long stay.

Ideally, we would have shared this room together. I tried to shake the thought, telling myself that I would feel cramped with the two of us living in it and I'd hate to have stupid little quarrels just as any two people who are constantly around each other end up doing.

But really I would welcome even that at this point. At least it would be some form of interaction. I hadn't heard from Hyde in the past week and was too humble to bother calling him on my own accord. I had my management contact him for any information regarding the Taiwan trip and movie project, especially because I wasn't even sure if he would answer my calls.

I wondered if he would answer my call now; now that I was in Taiwan in my hotel room and he was too, or would be shortly. One nice thing about being in charge of the production was that I had a list of everyone's schedules so I knew everything that was happening at every time during the length of our stay here. I picked up Hyde's call sheet (which was actually several sheets long) and noted the time so I finally swallowed my nerves and dialed his number.

On the other end, it rang.

And then it rang again. And again, and again...

I started to give up hope that he was going to pick up when I heard sounds outside my hotel door and what sounded like someone entering their key card. Snapping my phone shut with a huff I walked to the front of the room, ready to accuse my intruder, and pulled open the door.

"Gacchan…"

* * *

_I just barely started Chapter 7 so it might be a little while until it shows up online. I want to thank all the readers who have been following the story thus far and please if you're enjoying it, or have some critique, do leave me a review. Thanks!_


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Hello, and sorry for having such a long wait time in between chapters! It has been a month since I last posted and I apologize for those anxiously awaiting. Stories like this require a lot of time and thought and while I have had this chapter written for some time, I've been busy and needed time to really sit down and edit it before posting. In the meanwhile I've started writing Chapter 8 which is picking up nicely, so hopefully it won't be as long a wait between this chapter and that one. Thanks to those of you still reading! Enjoy._

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

**W**_ait a second – what was going on here_? Why was Gackt in _my_ hotel room?

He seemed to be as stunned as I was though, judging by his wide-eyed look and freeze framed stance from inside the door.

_This was not the way I wanted to run into him_, I thought to myself. I had wanted to relax in my hotel room, think of the best way to apologize and when I felt ready, _then_ I would approach him.

Instead I was now standing face-to-face with Gackt, my mouth going dry as I uttered the only thing to enter my brain—

"Gacchan…"

I mentally slapped myself in the head for calling him by that pet name again. The past week I had been so forceful in telling myself that no matter what, I would never use that stupid ridiculous cutesy name for him anymore. _So much for that_.

It seemed like we stood there, staring like the other was an alien, for the longest time but thankfully Gackt's expression soon softened and he graced me with a smile.

Yes; his big, bright and _beautiful _smile.

"Hyde, what a surprise. I was just trying to call you," Gackt started, opening the door further as though to let me in.

"I'm sorry my phone is packed away somewhere," I started, staying at my awkward spot just outside the door and pointing to the cart behind me containing all my bags and things. "I, um, guess I got the wrong room somehow?" At least I certainly hoped that was the case…

"There must have been some mix-up," Gackt started, pulling his own card key from the back of his pocket. "Your suite is actually on the floor beneath mine."

"Oh," I responded, feeling a strange sense of discontentment that we weren't even sharing the same floor.

"Well I figured you should have your own suite as well and these were the only available ones in the hotel for the period of time we needed them for. I hope that's ok...?" Gackt started, placing his key card back into his pocket as he leaned against the open door.

I peered into Gackt's large hotel room (eyeing the spaciousness of the room, the expensive-looking furniture, the view!) and agreed whole-heartedly that having my own suite would be more than ok.

"That's great, actually. I … guess they gave me the wrong room number or something," I said, turning the card over in my hand to look at the kanji symbols written across the back. Gackt brushed my hand as he took the card from me to look at it. And then he gave a small chuckle.

"I know you said your Chinese isn't that great, Hyde, but their numbers are written the same way as ours. See?" He traced the number I had confused with a finger and I tried to hide my embarrassment. How did I mix up something so simple?

"It's been a long day," I said, swiping my card key back from his hand and feigning tiredness. "Anyway, I should get going… you know, settle in and stuff."

"I will help you," Gackt said, checking to make sure he had his phone as he started to come out into the hallway pulling his door shut.

"No, no that's not necessary--"

"Hyde, please. You have half your belongings behind you. It'll be much easier if I help you unload it," Gackt said, walking down the hallway toward the elevator and pressing the button, leaving me virtually no choice but to follow him with my heavy cart of baggage and enter the small elevator with him.

The space inside was tinier than I'd expected and with my large cart of stuff, I ended up standing much closer to Gackt than I expected as well. As Gackt stretched over me to press the button for us to travel down a floor, our nearness and the tiny confinement granted me a strong awareness of his _Egoiste_ cologne; the dangerous scent I had become all too addicted with. My eyes fluttered shut as I breathed it in, trying to ignore the sensations it was having on my brain and ultimately my body.

"Hm, the elevator doesn't seem to be moving," Gackt said, stirring me from my daze as he reached past me to hit the button again.

"Do you think there's too much weight with this cart?" I asked, somewhat fearful of being cramped in this small space with the pungent cologne for too long.

"No, elevators usually buzz when that's the case…" Gackt pressed another button and still we were getting no reaction. "You're not claustrophobic, are you Hyde?"

"N-no…" I stuttered, never having such an experience to actually find out if I was or not.

"Well… that's good," Gackt replied, tapping several of the buttons quite a few times. "Because we seem to be stuck in here."

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_** I**_ tried to remain as calm as possible, given the circumstances. The elevator was small and Hyde's large cart full of baggage was diagonally positioned across the small space, therefore taking up most of the room except the small corner where he and I stood nearly on top of each other near the doors.

The elevator appeared to be stuck because it wasn't reacting to any of the buttons to change floors or open the doors, leaving Hyde and I uncomfortably trapped in the tiny spot.

"Why don't you hit the call button? I think that alerts some sort of authority that the elevator is jammed," Hyde suggested, shifting slightly to lean his arm on the cart, which was hogging up the majority of space.

"I'm sure one of these will work eventually," I replied, tapping the button with more fervor. Hyde sighed loudly and reached out toward the call button but I slapped his hand down.

"Hey!" he yelped. "What was that fo-"

"I don't want to cause a scene!" I admitted, pressing the floor button again. "What if this 'authority' decides to alert the media?"

Hyde rolled his eyes at me. "I doubt that will happen. Gackt, face it; The elevator isn't moving. If we hit this one we can probably get ourselves out of here…" Hyde reached forward again and I moved to swat his hand away but not before his finger pressed the large red button and a red light turned on inside the elevator. We both looked up at it, taking it as a sign that someone had been alerted of our situation.

"So…" I started, unsure what to say and wondering how long I was going to be stuck standing in the corner like this.

"Now we wait," Hyde said, resting his face in his hand as he leaned on the cart. There was an awkward silence for a good bit of time; Hyde sighing every now and then as he leaned on his bags and me shifting my weight from foot to foot as I stood in the tiny corner. I glanced over at Hyde a few times allowing myself to stare, and thankfully he didn't seem to notice. The silence was too much so I spoke up.

"I was about to say something of the unfortunate circumstance we seem to have gotten ourselves into but maybe this is an ideal opportunity," I started, causing Hyde to raise an eyebrow at me. "What I mean to say is… Hyde I have been meaning to talk to you. And seeing as we're not going anywhere for some time and I have your attention, so to speak, well, maybe this was meant to happen." _Of course it was, the destiny we share and all that…_

Hyde's face fell serious and he stood up straight from his resting spot on the cart. "Look, Gackt, I don't know if I'm in the mood to have such a conversa-"

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. Just listen to me, please," I interrupted, preparing to launch into the thoughts revolving around _'us'_ that had been swirling in my mind since the last time we spoke.

But before I could say anything, a large crowbar had appeared between the doors of the elevator, prying it open to reveal a stout maintenance man. He apologized to us for the error and suggested we use the other elevator near the center of the building until they had this one repaired. As the man started to work, Hyde pushed the cart out quickly and started pulling it down the hallway.

"Hey, Hyde, wait up!" I said, stepping out around the maintenance man to catch up to him.

"It's fine Gackt, I can handle it!" Hyde shouted back to me, quickly stepping into the other elevator, the doors shutting closed just as I reached it.

As I stood outside the elevator doors I wondered the real reason behind Hyde trying to avoid what I was about to say. Afterall, he had no idea what it really was I wanted to tell him.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_** A**_s I dragged the last of my heavy bags off the cart and into my room, grateful to have dodged whatever conversation Gackt was about to launch us into, I let out a loud sigh and fell onto the large bed. It was unusually soft, especially for being a hotel bed. I didn't care about putting my things away yet or returning the cart; right now I just wanted to relax.

But my phone started to buzz, threatening me from my comfortable spot to dig for it amongst my things. I flipped open the large suitcase, groaning inwardly at the task ahead of me to unpack all my clothes (_and moreso, having to re-pack it just as neatly 2 months from now_). But my phone rang again and I realized it wasn't in here. After checking two smaller bags on the floor, I finally found it hiding in the corner of my carry-on and flipped it open as quickly as possible.

"Moshi moshi?" I asked into the phone.

"Oh. Hyde! I was… expecting to reach your voice mail," I heard the familiar voice of Sakura respond on the other end.

"Sakura! Hey… I uh… I've been meaning to call you," I said, wincing at our awkward introductions as I sat down on the bed, not ready to indulge in any kind of conversation with him just yet. There was a pause; an uncomfortable silence other than the slight fuzzy noise occupying the long distance between our connection. "So…" I started, unsure where to lead us.

"Alright I gotta be honest with you; I wanted to leave a message, putting the ball into your court to call me back and then… well I'd have the option to ignore the call if I didn't feel like talking." Sakura bluntly spoke. I was somewhat taken aback by his honesty, yet secretly thrilled that his feelings were scarily similar to my own right now. But Sakura had always been honest with me, and that was always one of my favorite features of his.

"I know where you're coming from Sakura-chan," I responded, lying back on the bed with a sigh. "To be honest, I don't know where to start. Um. Well, I'm in Taiwan now," I tried to let us fall easily into conversation.

"Taiwan? What on god's earth are you there for?" Sakura replied, his disdain for travel lacing his voice.

"The movie shoot. It's going to be my locale for the next two months, believe it or not." My mind began to race with thoughts if I'd be able to handle such a thing. It was enough to make my stomach gurgle in nervousness, but Sakura's next comment made it flop for another reason.

"Oh yeah, the movie, huh. So I guess Gackt is there too. Tell me, is he by-chance wearing a top made of whipped cream?" I heard Sakura sneer.

I sat up quickly from the bed, not sure what to say to keep the conversation from centering on the incident I had desperately tried to forget. Not only for its utter humiliation, but also the fact that it was potentially the night to turn mine and Gackt's relationship real, rather than this awkward co-star vibe we had going on now. For a while I debated whether the turn of events that night were a good or bad thing.

"Sakura, I… well it's…I don't know how to… You see it's hard--"

"Yeah, I'm sure it is," I heard him snicker at the other end. "Look Hyde. What you do with your personal life isn't any of my business… not anymore, at least. But if you're gonna ditch the bitch and sway gay, you gotta set your sights somewhere else. You can do so much better than _Gackt_."

I have to say I was offended, especially the way he spat out Gackt's name. But Sakura chuckled on the other end, which was at least reassuring that he was taking it lightly rather than berating me for the act. If anyone knew where I stood sexually, it would surely have to be Sakura. I just never expected him to be giving me advice on it.

"You don't really know him, Sakura. Nobody does," I responded quietly.

"And you think you do? Jesus Hyde, I'm already having nightmares about seeing the two of you half-naked on these gigantic billboards promoting some beauty product as I drive through Shibuya," Sakura explained, as though the image was quite vivid in his mind. "Do you really know what you're getting into?"

"No!" I shouted back. "I don't _really_ know, ok? But I do know Gackt. He's not a phony media whore like everyone thinks he is. Gackt is so much more than what the public sees. I know him like nobody else."

"Are you sure you're the only one who knows him like that?" Sakura bit back at me. "I would reckon to think his good looks get him _eee_verything he needs. And you want to be wrapped up with that?"

"He's not whatever you think he is, Sakura. And while I appreciate your - well, what I _hope_ is your concern for me, you should know that there isn't anything between us." It stung a little to say the words aloud.

"Well geez, forgive me for assuming then," Sakura said sarcastically. "Your whipped-cream-wearing friend might have thrown me off a little though,"

"Look, there might have been something going on at that time but there isn't anymore. And it never went any further than…" I sighed as I collected my thoughts. "To be honest, it didn't go anywhere. Why are you hounding me on this?" I yelled into the phone, my face feeling warm at having to openly admit all the things floating in my head for the past week.

I heard Sakura sigh gently on the other end. "That night a few weeks back, it was the first time I had seen you in years. I know things would never be_ that_ way between us again and that's fine; I don't expect it to be. But the second we walked into that bar and you saw Gackt, you just turned into this flirty-eyed fan_girl_ for him. It was sickening. And yet…I don't ever remember you being that infatuated with me,"

Did I detect a hint of jealousy? Despite Sakura saying what he did about me, he had steadily brought the conversation back to _us_.

"I've always been infatuated with you, Sakura-chan," I tenderly responded. "And I probably always will be. Just… in a different way now."

"Well that's what I don't get. Gackt and I are polar opposites. How could you ever fall for something like _that_? I thought super-macho men like me were more your style,"

I had to laugh. "He's more of a macho man than you think," I replied, trying not to sound teasing. "Those Takano Yuri ads you've seen aren't touch-ups…"

"Well he may have been covered in whipped cream but even _I_ could see that._Damn_," Sakura laughed, the playfulness back in his voice. "Look, regardless of if you're involved with him now or not, can I at least be a beacon of advice? Not only because this movie is gonna give you a lot of media attention but especially with your, _quote, _'marriage', you really can't afford to get caught up in any of this. Fanservice a bit if you want but keep the real feelings out of it Hideto. I don't want that Gackt exposing you and ruining your career. You mean too much to me to have to see that happen to you. …Ok, that's all."

I smiled as I held the phone to my ear. "Well maybe this conversation didn't turn out so bad afterall…" I responded.

"But don't you dare show up on a billboard half-naked with him or I'm gonna kick your ass," Sakura replied, trying to sound threatening though I could hear the teasing lilt in his voice.

We exchanged a few more words, with me complaining about the heat of Taiwan, and then said our goodbyes. I was actually feeling better about everything after our conversation so with a burst of energy, I started the daunting task of unloading my suitcase and trying to make this drab room feel a little homier, considering that's what it was going to become the next two months.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**R**_ealizing that Hyde had a lot to unpack and was probably tired, I had left him alone for the remainder of the night. But it wasn't without thinking of him the entire time. Knowing that he was in the room just below me, bustling about his way, and me being but a mere layer of cement away from him was rather taunting.

I don't usually sleep very long so my REM cycles are few and far between but last night, perhaps as a combination of the long day and humidity of the area, I actually slept a few hours and the night didn't pass without a dream. As I sat in the small breakfast nook of my hotel room now, a hand hovering over my warm tea, my mind drifted back to the vivid imageries of my dream – particularly the part where Hyde came to my room, begging me to forget what he said before and take him back. After which point I led him to my bed and we proceeded to have sweet yet passionate, long-awaited sex.

The mental images actually woke me from my unorthodox slumber, my body in a sweat and my terribly hard erection tenting the thin sheet covering me. I groaned in agony, as the very act of masturbation is something I try to avoid if at all possible. I made that a rule to myself years ago since I've always felt so guilty afterwards. I sat up in the bed, trying to breathe slowly and will the visions away but again the thought that Hyde was just a floor below me was almost tempting enough to drag me out of bed and go right to him.

I did get out of bed then and decided to wake for the day, starting first with a cold shower to calm me down. Now as I sat, my tea growing cold as my mind replayed the dream, I wondered how the day would go. And if Hyde was awake yet.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_**I**_ awoke to the strangest sort of sound. It sounded like something running across the ceiling so I slowly opened my eyes, taking a moment to recall where I was _(…hotel bed, humid weather… aa that's right, __Taiwan_) and then rubbed my eyes, noting that it was only 5 AM. I groaned and rolled over but the noise didn't stop. I looked up at the ceiling when I remembered that Gackt was staying right above me.

Slowly I sat up from bed, scratching my head in contemplation of what he was doing, and reaching for my cell phone. I rang him, perfectly ready to shout him out for waking me so early with whatever-the-hell he was up to, but he never answered. With a grumble I laid back down and tried to ignore it but it was no use. So with an agitated grunt, I forced myself out of my comfy bed, finding a shirt to toss on and sliding on my shoes near the door before grabbing my room key and begrudgingly heading up a floor to pound on a certain somebody's hotel door.

As I rode the elevator up, rubbing my eyes and groaning to myself that I should have to do such a thing just to gain my sleep back, I hoped that every day in Taiwan was not going to start off so miserably. My tired feet dragged me from the elevator to Gackt's numbered door where I yawned and forced a tired arm up to rap on the door. There was no answer so I banged my fist again, this time harder and apparently hard enough to push open the door slightly. I blinked a bit at my own strength but then realized it wasn't actually shut all the way. So slowly I pushed it open, inching my head in.

"Gacchan?" I asked, but he wouldn't have heard me over the loud music playing, which is probably why he didn't answer his phone earlier. I stepped into his room, shutting the hotel door behind me and soon found him in a small pair of gym shorts, lying on his back on the floor and then pushing up on his arms and legs to arch his body upwards.

My jaw dislodged from the rest of my face, dropping as low as it could go at seeing the incredible limberness of Gackt's taut body literally on display in front of me. I stepped back, away from the arousing scene (_just when I think for once I woke with_out_ morning wood_…) but backed into the wall, hard enough that I cried out from hurting my back and caught Gackt's attention. He looked shocked to see me in his room and fell out of the position, standing up as he reached for a remote to turn down the volume of his loud music.

"Hyde! Why are you… are you ok?" In a few short steps he closed the distance between us, eyes wide as he looked at me rubbing my back and wincing in pain.

"I'm fine, I just… backed into the corner of the wall…" I started, realizing I should probably also explain why I was there in the first place. "I'm sorry, your door was open so I, um… what are you doing up here? You woke me up."

"Oh, I was exercising and practicing back-rolling," He explained, twisting his body a bit and causing my eyes to shift downward and delightfully watch the muscles in his stomach move.

"Ok, see, that's not normal," I said with a small laugh. "Especially at 5 in the morning."

"My apologies, Hyde. I didn't realize it'd be so noisy," Gackt responded with a shy grin, reaching up to scratch his head. Again I couldn't help but stare at how perfect his chest and abs looked. I had to stop rubbing my aching back to cover the start of something protruding through my sweat pants. _Dammit, he's not allowed to have this effect on me anymore!_ I inwardly cursed at myself for letting this amazing body dissolve the wall I had built between us.

As I stood there I realized just how tired I still was by letting out a loud yawn. "I should go back to bed now," I said, another yawn escaping my mouth.

"You sure you don't want to work-out with me? It's a great way to wake up," Gackt started, moving to the center of his floor and sitting down as he stretched out his legs. I let out a small groan of disapproval.

"I'm not a morning person; not in the slightest." I replied, realizing that if we were going to have some conversation I should really sit down so as not to look so awkward clutching my hands in front of myself. As Gackt bent to stretch over his left leg I shuffled over to the nearest object to sit on, which just happened to be the corner edge of his bed. "I don't really get into the whole workout thing either,"

Gackt sat up, exhaling a strained breath and pausing to look up at me. "It's good for you though," he said before bending to stretch his body over his right leg. "Very healthy," his muffled voice replied.

"Yea, I don't quite see the point in exerting myself that much when I'm perfectly comfortable with the way I look already," I said lazily, leaning back on the bed and noticing it was just as soft and inviting as my own bed was. Although _that_ bed was a floor away and with how tired I still was, it was incredibly tempting to just lie back and fall asleep right here on _this_ one.

Gackt sat up again and smiled at me. "Well I can't disagree there. You're already gorgeous the way you are, Hyde," Gackt responded, wiggling his eyebrows before reaching out across the floor to stretch his arms forward. It was too early for me to wonder if I had even blushed at his comment and the longer I sat on the bed, the more I wanted to just fall over on it and drift back into a peaceful rest.

"Now me," Gackt started, sitting up again. "I can't get away with out some form of exercise every day," He stood up and tilted his head to look at me. "Hyde, are you in there?"

I blinked a few times, having heard what he said but unsure how to react to it. "Yea… what?"

"Why don't you lie down, you look like you're not awake yet," Gackt chuckled at me as he pulled his arms behind his back to stretch them out. It's not as though the thought of laying down wasn't already in my mind and so with Gackt's permission I let myself go and tumbled back, sighing in delight when my back made contact with the soft mattress.

"Ok but just for a bit…" I mumbled with my eyes closed. I heard Gackt's music get even softer…

When my eyes opened up, there was a steady stream of sunlight hidden behind the long dark curtains covering the far window. I blinked and yawned and soon realized that this wasn't my hotel bed. Remembering I had dozed a bit in Gackt's room I quickly sat up, hoping I wasn't out for too long. But the large alarm clock on the nightstand reading 8:53 AM told me otherwise. I felt guilty having slept in his bed for the past three hours and checked the pillows and surrounding area for any drool that might have escaped my mouth.

"Gackt?" I called out, wondering where he had disappeared to as I stood up from the bed, stretching my arms high above my head. Just then I noticed the shower was running.

_Perfect! I can escape without any awkwardness_, I thought, sliding my feet into my shoes sitting alongside the bed and starting to shuffle toward the door. But before I could get there the bathroom door swung open and with the small waft of steam that escaped, so did Gackt. I nearly crashed into his damp body, which he had barely had time to wrap a towel around in his surprise of bumping into me.

_So much for escaping the awkward moment_…

"Oh Hyde, you're awake!" He quickly said, speedily tucking the towel in itself on the side of his hip. "I trust you are fully rested now?" Gackt asked.

"Yes," I quickly responded, my mind wondering why I couldn't think of my favorite boring topics to calm my suddenly active brain and jumping cock. I tried to look away and ignore the fact that we were standing strangely close, neither of us sure what to do in the uncomfortable moment. But from the corner of my eye I could still see Gackt's glistening pectorals and delicious collarbone just begging to be licked...

_No, no, NO! Why am I thinking these things? I have to get out of here!_

"I'll see you later then, ne?" I said, quickly dodging around the opened bathroom door and escaping Gackt's hotel room as soon as possible. Once safely outside I exhaled and ran awkwardly to the elevator, willing it to arrive and drop it me off at my room faster than lightening.

When I got back to my own room I quickly started my own shower and jumped in, letting the ice cold water cool my excitement away.

Later I took a second shower because it seemed that the scent of _Egoiste_ had seeped into my skin from lying in Gackt's bed and the very aroma of it was driving me crazy.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**I**_ sat at my table, going over the call sheets for the upcoming week when a phone call came in from my agent. Apparently he had double-booked me and I was due in Tokyo for some business... _tomorrow_. How horrible for timing when it was the first day of shooting for the MOON movie. I had no scenes, but Hyde and young Kanata Hongo were to start filming some of the early parts of the movie and I would much have loved to stand by and watch. Especially as support for Hyde.

LeeHom and Zeny were going to be arriving today so I made plans to visit them this afternoon. After our meet and greet, which was quite brief due to the language barrier, I had a meeting with the stylists to go over some last minute decisions on wardrobe for the first scenes to be filmed. I sat down with the designers, putting my signature as an 'ok' on the outfit photographs. They asked me about one of Hyde's upcoming scenes and the addition of vampire teeth. I told them we had discussed this already, myself explaining that Kei's teeth retract and therefore don't have to be worn, but his stylist was too quick to pull out a recent _RRNewsmaker _magazine and point out Hyde's appearance in the rather vampiric photoshoot. I took the booklet from her, paging through to Hyde's photo spread and wondering why I hadn't seen this before. Hyde posed, mouth open in most of the shots, and his blond hairs were wild, he wore a purple suit and he had vampire teeth. The very sight of it was arousing. I rubbed my chin, smiling as the tell-tale signs of destiny bringing us together flooded my mind. Afterward, as I made my way back to my own room, the vampiric images strong in my brain, I decided to call Hyde.

I invited him out to dinner, figuring I could then tell him about my short trip back to Tokyo tomorrow and help reassure him about the movie. I felt awful that I wouldn't be able to be there for his first day, given all his anxiety about the film. So we decided on a small pool hall where we could get some food and drinks and hopefully play some billiards.

Ever since this morning I had longed to have some alone time with Hyde. I believed that he was back into somewhat of a comfort zone with me, having rested in my hotel bed for a while, and I had reason to believe that he was still harboring some hidden feelings, with his awkward hit and run as I exited the shower this morning. A chance to sit down and talk amongst ourselves and engage in a friendly game of billiards would help to reestablish our casual friendship and perhaps allow me to more accurately gauge where Hyde's feelings were right now. As much as I wanted him to return my still-existent feelings for him, I had to respect the fact that he might not want that; not now or possibly ever. It was a difficult task but for the sake of maintaining a friendship (and the integrity of my movie) I had to work around my desires.

Thankfully Hyde agreed to go out with me for the night so I stopped at his hotel door at 7, just as we had arranged, and rapped on the door.

"It's open!" I heard Hyde yell and as I pushed a little on the door I noted that it was. I stepped inside to the sound of some rock music blasting from what sounded like it was coming from the bathroom. I was greeted with Hyde's very messy hotel space and unmade bed where his acoustic guitar was lying. I smiled to myself at the thought of Hyde sitting there composing a song; It was a pleasant mental image. The rock music abruptly stopped then and Hyde stepped out from the bathroom, his hair having looked freshly styled. He smiled at me as I stood near the doorway and after grabbing his cellular and card key from the nearby table, we stepped out together.

I hailed a cab and we made small talk on the ride over before entering into the small and smoky pool hall. It was nice to be able to go out and not have to worry about recognition, not only due to the locale but the locals as well – the place was full of these older men sitting around to possibly avoid a boring night with their wife where they could instead get a drink and shoot some pool. And they would never suspect, nor probably even care, who Hyde and I were.

"So, I saw LeeHom and Zeny today," I started, making conversation as we waited for our orders to arrive.

"When do they start filming?" Hyde asked, taking a hearty sip from his vodka glass.

"Next week; same day as you and Taro and I… we're filming the beach scene first. It should be fun," I replied, taking a sip from my own alcohol cup to prepare for the thing I was about to say next. "Hyde, I have to tell you something. It's probably not what you want to hear but I feel a need to let you know…"

"Gacchan," he started, waving a hand at me. "Look, I don't really want to get back into this whole thing. Can't we just enjoy the evening?"

"It's not what you're thinking," I replied, with a small smile. "I have to go back to Tokyo tomorrow."

Hyde's eyes went wide and he carefully set his glass down on the table. He looked scared more than anything. "Wait, but why? I start shooting tomorrow! You can't leave!"

"Hyde, you'll be perfectly fine! Zeze-san and my staffs, your staffs, the whole crew will be there. You don't really need me,"

"Yes I do!" Hyde replied, reaching out over the table as though he wanted to grab my hands before realizing how odd his action must have looked and blushing slightly. I wish I could have taken the phrase and act in regard to something else. "I mean, this is your movie, don't you have to be there?"

"Technically, no. Look I'm sorry Hyde, but my agent double-booked me so I have some business to attend to. But I'll be back in two days,"

"TWO DAYS?" Hyde nearly shouted it at me. "What the hell! I don't know the first thing about acting and I was expecting you to be there… for me…" he said the last part significantly softer than he had started the sentence. Hyde sighed loudly and buried his face in his hands. "How am I going to do this without you…"

His voice sounded so distraught and might I add needy that I took it so seriously to heart. I knew he had anxieties for filming this movie from the very beginning so I felt awful about having to abandon him, especially when he looked at me like that. And yet his reaction to my news, while stronger than I had expected it to be, was touching – to think that Hyde sincerely wanted me to be with him was warming to my heart.

I boldly reached out across the table and took one of Hyde's hands in mine. "Hyde, things will be fine, I assure you. You're amazing and you'll figure this out. You don't need me there beside you for moral support,"

Our meals arrived, causing me to rapidly release Hyde's hand as the waiter sat down our trays. We dined in a strange silence, Hyde looking somewhat upset as he picked at his meal. I tried to enjoy mine best I could but was unnerved by Hyde's quiet demeanor ever since I told him I would have to be leaving him tomorrow. As we finished our meals, declining desert for the moment but ordering another round of drinks, Hyde sat back more comfortably in his chair.

"So, you'll be back in two days then," he said quietly, not looking up at me but rather becoming entranced with running his finger around the top rim of his emptied alcohol glass.

"No sooner, but no later either, yes. And you know you can always call me if there's anything," I replied with a smile. Hyde looked up at me and I saw a bit of comfort fill his eyes. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hyde answered, turning his eyes away from mine again. As I watched him I noticed a place on his face – the right side of his mouth had a bent cramp; it was trembling slightly. It wouldn't have been noticeable by anyone else but my careful studying of Hyde's features over the short time I've known him, had made me aware that he wasn't really 'fine' as he said he was.

"Want to shoot some pool?" I offered, hoping to lighten the subject. Hyde looked up at me and shook his head slightly.

"Nah, I don't think I want to," he responded, sitting up straight as our new drinks arrived.

"You don't play billiards?" I asked with a curious tilt of my head as we both took a swig from the new glasses.

"Um," Hyde started, setting down his glass. "Not really…"

"Come on Hyde, we're in a pool hall. Let's play a round at least," I suggested, standing up from my seat with my newly filled glass of vodka.

"Ok, but I'm not very good," Hyde replied, mimicking my action as he followed me to the back of the room and we rented a table and some sticks.

"How about we start small then, with eight ball. The rules of this one are simple," I started, picking up the small blue square to sharpen my pool stick. "You just want to hit the 8 ball in last. And we'll go 15 through 9, and 1 through 7 to drop them in," I continued to nicely explain the rules, exhausting as they were.

"Oh you mean high ball, low ball?" Hyde responded, aligning the balls in the plastic triangle on the center of the table.

I was surprised. _High ball, low ball_? Only real pool players ever called it that. Well, just because Hyde said he wasn't good didn't mean he wasn't at least knowledgeable on the game. "Oh, so you know it? Well let's play then."

I extended a hand telling Hyde to crack the set first, as I moved back to lean along the wall and prepared to fully enjoy the view as he bent over the pool table. _I wasn't disappointed_. With a loud crack, Hyde split the balls, already knocking one into a corner pocket. My jaw fell open slightly. Had to be beginners luck, of course.

Carefully Hyde studied the table and continued to work around it, hitting the cue ball across the table and swiftly knocking in every subsequent ball until only the 8 ball remained. With one last careful slide of the stick, he bounced it into the center pocket.

I stood up slowly, my mouth hanging open as I neared the table.

"Gacchan," Hyde started, sharpening up the end of his stick with the small blue square. "Line up the balls," he replied, never even glancing at me as he blew the excess blue powder off the tip of the pool stick.

"Hyde, that was…" I started, leaning my stick against the wall as I retrieved the balls and tossed them onto the table. "You are so skillful!" I finally finished, finding the plastic triangle to set the balls straight.

"Come on, line them up," Hyde replied with a small smile as he watched me. I glared at him as I centered the balls on the table and then removed the plastic barrier. Again he cracked the set and continued to move around the table, knocking all the colorful balls away one-by-one and lastly hitting the 8 ball into a corner pocket this time. I was once again stunned with how swiftly he moved across the table.

Hyde demanded again that I line up the balls and I did so quietly as he leaned along the wall, sipping from the rest of his vodka glass. "Can't you do it nicer? That's so poor…"

I glared over at Hyde. For the first time, I was losing at billiards and being teased for my alignment of the billiards on the table. Hyde had gone from mentioning that he didn't really play to consistently kicking my ass at a game I thought I had excelled at. I barely had a chance to touch the table, save for lining up the damn billiard balls.

Hyde glanced over the table again, judging whether they were lined up neatly enough for his liking and I sighed audibly.

"We don't have to keep playing," Hyde started, looking up at me. "Is this hurting you?" He said with a smirk.

"No. But can I have the first crack this time?" I said, eager to get back at him. Hyde nodded and leaned along his pool stick as I broke the set. After a few swift moves and one or two trades with Hyde due to some bad angles, I actually won the game. Hyde was nodding his head in approval and I started to retrieve the balls.

"No," Hyde interrupted, pushing me away to gather the rest of the billiards. "The rule is that the loser has to set up the balls," he responded, pushing them to the center and tossing them into the plastic triangle. He removed it and stepped back.

"Ah, Hyde, I'm sorry, but will you line them up prettier?" I mocked, earning a glare from him in return.

A few glasses of vodka and several games later, we decided on our last round of pool. I won the final game by a mere one point. I could see that Hyde was angry at losing (which was somehow quite adorable) but he seemed at least grateful that he didn't have to line up the balls since we were finished. We drained the last of our vodkas and returned the glasses before heading outside into a cool breeze.

"Aa, this breeze feels great," Hyde started as I hailed for a cab. I looked over at him with his head tossed back and eyes shut, enjoying the nice wind that had joined us in place of the overbearing heat from the day. As the taxi arrived, I motioned for Hyde to crawl in first and then I followed behind him.

I was feeling nicely drunk as I sat there, twisting my body just for the sake of staring at Hyde, who looked like he was about to pass out on the other end of the back seat of the cab we shared. "Hyde, are you angry that you lost?"

"No, I'm fine," he quietly replied. And again I noted the small bent cramp in the lower side of his mouth.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_** I**_ hated that I was such a sore loser. So I lost a few times at billiards tonight, so what? It would probably have helped if I weren't delightfully drunk on vodka, which never helped my mood any. But my brain was fuzzy. My mouth felt fuzzy in that it was dry. And my vision was fuzzy too, or at least I hoped it was because when I glanced over at Gackt I saw him staring almost hungrily at me and licking his lips, which I caught just as we passed under a street light and it fully illuminated his facial features.

I blinked and turned away, trying to ignore the pooling heat in my stomach. Of course it was just built up anger and warm alcohol and not something else.

But maybe it _was_ something else, because I found myself actually wanting to look over at Gackt again. I turned my head and noted that he had actually slid over and was now sitting closer to me than he was the last time I looked at him. In the darkness of the backseat of the cab I couldn't see those bright blue eyes that could have been so distracting, but it was still just light enough from the passing street lights that I could make out the outline of his full lips.

I began to wonder, as I openly stared at him, if his lips ever felt dry the way mine often did; like the way mine were right now, which I attributed to both the cotton mouthed feeling from consumption of alcohol and the dryness of Taiwan. But Gackt's lips always had that fresh, moist look to them, the kind that made you want to touch and kiss and suckle them…

His lips parted then, as I stared, and again his tongue peeked out just enough that I caught its quick appearance and similarly fast departure back into his mouth. Perhaps his lips _were_ feeling dry. I sort of wanted to find out.

Through my half-lidded, hazy drunken stare, I noticed that Gackt was moving closer to me again. But he kept sliding in my direction that I began wondering if it was his intent to squish me into the side of the car.

"Gacchan, what are you--"

"We're at the hotel, Hyde," he bluntly responded. I blinked and turned to look out the window and sure enough there was our hotel.

"Oh." was all I could mumble as I fumbled for the door handle. _Dammit._ Gackt's hand reached past me and cupped over mine and together we turned the latch as the door swung open. I looked up just in time to catch Gackt moistening his lips once more. _Stop that, you tease…_

As we walked out of the cab and toward our hotel, both of us moving slower than normal due to our vodka consumption earlier in the evening, I realized just how horny I was right now. Mainly because my eyes were rather enjoying the sight of Gackt's ass as he shuffled ahead of me. He pulled open the door to the entrance and I even purposely brushed past him as I walked in, just for the sake of feeling another body against mine.

For years, I'd been fully aware that one of the side effects of alcohol on the body of Hideto Takarai was perpetual horniness. If I had nothing to slake the lust before I either passed out or threw up, I would end up retreating to the sad and sorry act of masturbation, something I never quite relished doing but took upon for the sake of relief anyway. I had my hands in my pockets to help conceal the growing evidence of my thoughts as I followed Gackt into the elevator. We had both been relatively quiet for most of the night, which was odd considering how often Gackt had talked my brain into a mushy stupor with his endless rants. As I leaned against the elevator wall and let out a yawn, I caught Gackt staring at me with that hungry look again. This time I could see the false bright blue of his contacts and as lovely as they were, I was still drawn to his lush lips.

_Good lord, did I just call Gackt's lips__** lush**?_ Well, how else to describe them, with how round and plump and soft and inviting they looked… I shifted uncomfortably in the small space, knowing Gackt's eyes were on me and that I was trying to cover myself from anything he might notice. But I couldn't stop looking at his mouth and between staring at Gackt's lips and worrying about my increasingly aching cock, it wasn't long until I had the imagery of Gackt's lips _ON_ my cock.

I could feel my face growing warm and hoped that Gackt either wouldn't notice, or would attribute it to the alcohol, which is what gave me such scandalous imageries in the first place. I stared at the ground and snuck a glance or two at my pants to make sure I was still somewhat hidden; At this point, I could barely stand it and couldn't wait to get to my room just so I could--

"Do you want to get off, Hyde?" I heard Gackt ask.

"What?" I squeaked, my eyes bulging as I looked up at him. He gave me a strange look and I noticed his arm was holding the elevator doors open.

"Well, this is your floor…" Gackt responded. I felt my face grow even redder as my brain made the connection and I inwardly scolded myself for taking what he said so perversely. Slowly I started to shuffle out when I noticed Gackt was following behind me. I turned around to face him just as the elevator doors closed shut behind us.

"Wait, you have another floor to go yet, right?" I asked, hoping the alcohol hadn't made me forget such a simple detail. But Gackt just smiled at me.

"I just wanted to make sure you got back to your room safely," Gackt replied as we stood awkwardly next to the elevator in the empty hotel hallway. I rolled my eyes at him. _Stupid Gackt, walking me to the door all the time like we were on some date_, I cursed in my head as I made my way down the hall with him quietly walking alongside of me. As I found my door I began to reach in my coat pockets for my key card, but had no luck.

"Shit, where did I put that thing," I said, pulling to turn the pockets inside out. I took off my jacket and shook it around, hoping it would fall out but only my cellular ended up on the floor. "Dammit, where is it?" I cursed.

Just then I felt something slide along my backside and before I could even gasp in recognition of what had just happened, Gackt was waving my card key in front of my face. He grinned at me and reached past to swipe the card along the door and we both heard it click open.

"It wasn't in your coat, silly." Gackt started, pushing my hotel door open. "I saw it sticking out of the back pocket of your pants. See, if I hadn't walked you to the door you would have been here all night searching for it,"

"I would have found it eventually," I mumbled, as I picked up my cell phone and tried to forget that he just touched my ass, wondering if it was solely for the purpose of attaining my card key and not something else. Regardless, he had to at least have been _looking_ _there_ to spot the key in the first place... I moved past him to enter my room and turned to say goodnight. Gackt was staring at me with a different sort of look in his eyes. I couldn't quite place it.

"I hope you enjoyed our evening out, Hyde," He began, always the gentleman. "And I'm terribly sorry again that I won't be there for you tomorrow. But please, give me a call and let me know how it goes, ok?"

"Ok, ok. But get your ass back here right away, you hear me? No more ditching me in Taiwan to fend for myself. Or I'll really be mad at you then," I replied, trying to convey a serious look, though I knew I was failing miserably.

Gackt smiled and said goodnight and I quickly shut the door as he left. Leaning against it, I tossed my cellular and the card on the nearby table and glanced down. My erection had subsided somewhat in the fear of misplacing my key, but as soon as I recalled the way Gackt reached across my ass, despite it being a mere two seconds of a non-sexual nature, it was already beginning to bob up for attention again.

"No," I yelled at it, as though it were a pet or something. But as I stood there, replaying the last few moments in my mind and finally settling on the perfection that is Gackt's lips, I realized that I was finally alone, retrieved my things and head into the shower where I took care of the problem.

Later I retrieved a bottle of water and relaxed on my bed for a bit, finding Taiwan late-night programming to be even worse than Japan's and unfortunately impossible for me to understand. After some channel surfing in the dark, I drifted off to sleep and subsequently dreamt of Gackt. And his lips.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_** T**_he next day passed quickly for me and already it was night in Tokyo. I was out with my agent and staff member at dinner that evening, having enjoyed a rather pleasant business meeting earlier, when my phone began to buzz. Without even looking I knew it was Hyde calling me. I excused myself from the table and grinned at his name on my display as I made my way to a private spot to talk.

"Moshi moshi!" I answered kindly. Already I could tell in Hyde's breathing that he was not happy.

"What are you doing?" Hyde roughly barked.

"Oh, I'm eating now…" I responded slowly, wondering where Hyde's attitude was stemming from.

"Why? What the hell are you doing?! It's hot! Do something, Gacchan!" Hyde sounded pissed off more than anything.

"Calm down, Hyde," I said, trying to soothe him from miles away. "There is nothing I can do about it, you realize…"

"But it's hot! Unbearable, even!" It sounded as though Hyde were about to explode. I didn't know what I could possibly do for him but he kept complaining. "Just do something!"

"Ok, I can try…" I answered, my mind racing with thoughts of what there even was to do in such a situation. The only thing I could think of was that I had to calm Hyde down. And doing so over the phone was proving impossible so that meant I would have to go to him. I would have to fly to Taiwan. "I'll be over as soon as I can, so please, just calm down and wait for me, ne?"

"Come quickly!" Hyde shouted into the phone.

"Well Hyde I can only do as quickly as the flight schedules will allow and--"

I didn't get to finish because Hyde had already hung up. I chuckled to myself.

After a brief argument of why I absolutely must be in Taiwan, including some random made up story about a set prop being destroyed and Zeze-san going mad without my guidance on the script, my agent complied to let me leave Tokyo early and booked me the next flight out of the city and into Taiwan. To be with—_I mean_, there for Hyde.

Unfortunately the next flight I could get wasn't until early the next morning. That evening as I packed my carry-on bag, I couldn't stop thinking about Hyde's urgency over the phone. Why was he requesting me to be there with him so strongly? Again I was touched by his concern to have me by his side and my heart clutched at finding a deeper meaning behind it.

I showered late that evening due to the fact that I would have to leave very early the next morning and probably not have much time. As I let the warm water run down my back in its relaxing streams, I entertained the thought of Hyde alone in Taiwan that night. His eyes were lidded and his bleached strands looked gold in the dim light of his hotel room. I saw him stand up and begin stripping off his clothing. I moaned to myself at the mental imagery. I could still hear him in my mind complaining of the _'unbearable heat'_, but in the vision, his voice was soft and seductive when he said it. I began to touch myself as the images in my head had Hyde continuing to undress slowly for me until he was completely naked. I moaned again at the very thought, pumping my shaft more ferociously. "_Do something Gacchan_," the naked vision of Hyde said to me, just as he had over the phone earlier, but this time his voice was laced with a sultry tone. He said it again. And then, "_Come quickly…_" the Hyde vision cooed. And I did.

As I sat on the airplane for the short flight over the next morning, I reviewed the call sheets for the day and saw that Hyde only had one small scene to film today. Surely I would not be missing it. Putting aside the papers I glanced out the airplane window as Taiwan came into my view. I tried to push away the guilt from jerking off to Hyde's image the night before and wondered if it was visibly written all over my face. Maybe not to other people, but I wondered if Hyde would be able to tell. I'd had enough resolve in our relationship's ups and downs thus far to restrain from such an action but last night I gave into it so willingly, even given the fact I didn't know where we stood right now.

For all I knew, Hyde could still be mad at me for beating him at billiards.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_** I**_ was still pissed that Gackt bet me at billiards.

But I wasn't going to tell him that. Especially not after the guy dropped everything just to fly over to Taiwan for little old bitchy me. By all rights he should be enjoying another day in Tokyo before returning to the hellish movie project, which the more I thought about it, the more I felt sorry for him having such a huge responsibility weighing on his shoulders. Because of my stupid ridiculous complaints, Gackt was giving up his time to come be on the set with me. It was kind of touching.

I sat off to the side of the filming set, resting my head in my hands as the crew set up the scenery and every once in a while I would look around to see if Gackt had arrived yet.

There was no denying how amazing he was. When he said he was going to fly over here as soon as he could, it only took an instant for me to feel bad about the fight we got into a few weeks back. Truly Gackt was a very good friend, if nothing else. While I believe I had every right to tell him his sexual advances had to stop, I shouldn't have ever denied his friendship toward me. I tried to reason that we probably already got past the fight with our outing the previous night.

But I couldn't let things go further than this friendship and our competitive billiard games (_though next time perhaps without so much vodka_). Waking up this morning to get ready I was reminded, as I watched my reflection while brushing my teeth, that I had spent the other night jacking off in the shower to visions of Gackt, and later in bed after a rather arousing dream. _How sick_, I thought of myself, while I spat into the sink. But I couldn't shake the imageries that were still so vividly implanted in my mind, even as I sat on set now.

Finally I heard voices from the far end greeting '_Gackt-san_' and I remained in my comfy cast chair as Gackt nodded to staff members and began to cross the distance between us.

"Ohayo, Hyde. Genki?" Gackt asked as he approached me. I glanced up at him.

"Genki ja nai!" I replied, standing up from the folding chair. "It's hot! Gacchan you actually like this?"

"Well, it is very hot, I'll give you that," Gackt started, fanning himself as he said so. "I don't like the heat. I can deal with the humidity though,"

"I hate it." I bitched, crossing my arms over my chest. I saw some of the staff members look at me and shake their heads. "And they all hate me," I continued, nodding a head in the crew's direction. Gackt looked over at them and then turned to smile at me.

"They don't hate you, Hyde," Gackt reassured as he took a sip from his water bottle.

"Yes they do. All day yesterday and before you got here this morning, all I've been shouting is 'Come quickly Gacchan!'… as though you'd actually hear me or something,"

Gackt made a weird face then and shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I have. And I'm here now. And I'm sorry that the heat isn't going away," he finished with a laugh.

"It's alright. I feel a little better just knowing someone else on set," I admitted, sitting back down in my chair and taking a large gulp from my water bottle. "I feel sort of out of place here…."

Gackt kneeled down beside my chair. "When everyone else arrives and we start to really film - especially the group beach scene - you'll feel much better."

"How do you know that?" I asked, looking down at him.

"I'm just sure of it," Gackt stated with a smile. "This will become a comfortable normalcy in a few days. As will the heat,"

I grunted in disgust. "I don't know about that one but I hope you're right about the first part."

The rest of the day Gackt hung off to the side of the set while I drilled through my lines, trying harder than I had the day before for the simple fact that I wanted to impress him. I caught him smiling at me through most of the day but tried not to let it distract me.

As we walked off the set together and back toward the hotel, I was tempted to ask Gackt out for dinner. But just as I was contemplating the act, his cellular rang and he spent the next few minutes of our walk to and inside the hotel and ride up the elevator taking the brunt end of his agent's yelling from the phone. When the elevator stopped at my floor I started out the doors but not before turning to give Gackt a sympathetic glare. I waved a 'goodnight' and Gackt copied my action, then gave me a most gorgeous smile just as the elevator doors fell shut. My breath caught momentarily in my throat as I stood there staring at my distorted reflection in the silver doors.

I started to feel guilty again, having felt like the reason he was getting beat up over the phone was all my fault and my selfish demands to have him back in Taiwan with me when he was needed elsewhere. As I entered my room I realized though that Gackt didn't have to actually come at my beckon call. He could have ignored my whines over the phone and said _'sorry 'bout your luck'_. But he didn't. He stopped what he was doing just to be here with me.

That action spoke volumes of Gackt's friendship and respect toward me and I pondered it in my mind as I called to order some room service for supper. While waiting for it to arrive I realized that I wasn't showing enough respect to him from my end and decided it was about time I remedied that. As I ate my dinner I read over my script for the next day, being studious as never before simply for the fact that showing up on set prepared and ready to wow everyone would be a good start to showing Gackt how I respected him as well.

Respect for him. Yes, of course that's what it was. Not trying to impress him or get him to notice me or pay more attention to me because I found how much I suddenly was demanding it. And certainly not because I realized just how much I loved it when he'd look at me and smile _like that_...

* * *

_Stories of Gackt & Hyde's billiard playing and Hyde's frantic phone call wherein Gackt dropped everything and flies to Taiwan are TRUE FACTS, taken directly from the mouths of the boys themselves. Evidence can be found in their AllNightNippon radio show from late August 2002 and also the interview in the back of the Moon Child Photobook. (as is the 'bent cramp' on Hyde's face that Gackt so cutely described) The pool story is also the one they shared when they both attended Music Station in 2003. Gotta love it!_

_If you have time, please leave me a comment letting me know what you enjoyed. I'm currently working on Chapter 8. Thanks for reading!_


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_You have to forgive the more detailed parts of this story, but in keeping with the facts and Moon Child filming, I am trying to include all the little bits of the film, since I do love it so much and it's the reason this story exists! Please enjoy._**  
**

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

**_I_** had a happy anxiety as I rode the van over to the beach locale for filming today. My first day of shooting – finally, the dream of the MOON movie coming to life - and it was going to be an incredibly fun scene. The whole crew and all its main performers, including myself, Hyde, LeeHom, Taro and Zeny, had an all-day shoot; some morning scenes first, then a break, and finally when the sun set, we had a night shoot. It was going to be amazing; already I could feel it.

When I arrived on the beach, the first person I was saw was Hyde, who ran over to my van the moment it stopped on the sand. As I exited the car he flashed me his smile and we embraced. Our hug, while short and 'manly' for the sake of the documentary camera filming our every move, felt amazing. It was as though Hyde was different today, but I couldn't quite figure out what those differences were.

We were all introduced to the staffs, who clapped for us with each announcement of our names, and then re-located to the edge of the beach to film what was actually the very last scene in the movie. Strange, how you can write an entire script from start to finish and yet when it comes to filming, you often film from the ending first. Going out of order like this was likely to give me different thoughts about the way I wanted things to plan out but I tried to push that away from my mind, giving as how I already thought the script was perfect the way it was.

And especially this scene – a group of friends, reunited at the end where it's peaceful and we're all happy. Hopefully it would all go as planned. One of the best things about it, was it gave me a chance to get in real close and touch Hyde, and there was no way he could back out or pull away since it was in the script. But the way he was looking at me this morning made me feel like there wouldn't be any issues with that. There was a calming breeze as we stood there; it ruffled Hyde's dyed locks around his head, occasionally blowing stray strands into his face and I longed so much to reach out and brush them back many times. His long white button-down shirt billowed around him as he stood casually alongside the ocean. LeeHom and Taro were goofing off to the side, laughing, though it was apparent that neither of them could understand what the other was trying to convey – and perhaps that's what made it so funny. Zeny sat in a chair off to the side as her agent held an umbrella to shield her from the sun.

I went over to Hyde's side, unbeknownst to him, and bent down to pick up a shell which I skipped into the ocean, catching his attention. He turned around to look at me and smiled. _God, that smile is a sin_, I thought as I allowed myself to get caught up in it for a moment.

But just as Hyde was opening his mouth to say something, Zeze called for us to prepare for the shot. Taro was the only one with a line so the rest of us just had to act casually on the beach before he ran over and we posed for the group photo. It was exciting to have my first scene be the one where I literally get to hang all over Hyde's tiny frame. As Taro shouted his line and ran over to us, all the cast mates squished together. I felt LeeHom's arm move behind me as I draped my own arm around Hyde's body and squeezed his shoulder. He laughed breathily and I caught his big smile out of the corner of my eye. We pretended to smile for the shot and then Zeze yelled "CUT!" loudly. The others fell apart from the scene but I still stood with my arm around Hyde, squeezing him a little like a strange, one-armed hug before letting him go. Zeze waved to me so I went over and he explained how he wanted us to make some silly faces for the camera so I told the cast mates to just live it up for the next few shots.

We took another short break as the staff checked the footage. I kneeled on the sand and Hyde sat next to me, looking as though he wanted to tell me something (perhaps whatever he was interrupted from telling me earlier) but then LeeHom joined us as well so the three of us tried to fall into a strange sort of easy conversation. When it was discovered they needed to try the shot from a slightly different angle, everyone joined up along the ocean once more.

Again we filmed the first part, Taro saying his line and joining everyone. This time I wiggled in even closer to Hyde, brushing my right leg along his backside and I noticed again from the corner of my eye how his grin got even larger. I pulled him in close to me as we all posed for the camera until Zeze yelled to cut and check the tape. When the cameramen gave the 'ok', we clapped as the scene ended. I turned and hugged Hyde and the other cast mates then shook my hand as we all dissipated for an afternoon break.

Hyde lit up a cigarette and motioned for me to join him as the others ducked out of the sun to relax some. I quickly ran to catch up alongside him who immediately offered me a puff from his cigarette.

"You sure you want to stay out here? I thought it was too hot for you," I teased, taking a drag from the cigarette before passing it back to him.

"It is. But the breeze from the ocean is nice," Hyde quietly said, inhaling from the shared cigarette. I turned to watch his lips curl around it and the smoke waft away quickly from his mouth before I noticed that there was a camera next to me. I tried not to jump as I turned to look at it and when I ignored it and looked forward again, still walking alongside Hyde, I noticed he was still smiling – a large, toothy grin – as he occasionally puffed from the stick, the cameraman following alongside of us for most of our walk.

It was somewhat unnerving, thinking that my quiet walk on the beach with Hyde was interrupted and silent due to the very presence of the camera being next to us the whole time. Eventually Hyde stopped, stubbing out his cigarette in the sand and turning to face the ocean quietly. I looked over at the camera man again and the red light turned off, as he removed the camera from his face.

"Hi there, Gackt-san," he started.

"Miya-san, I wasn't sure if it was you or not," I replied.

"Of course it is; I'm the only one trailing you like this. But boss if you ever want me to stop, just say so. I don't _really_ have to be everywhere you are. I'm sure over the next month of filming you'll have more than enough footage to make several documentaries and behind the scenes specials and whatever else you need," Miya responded with a laugh.

"In that case, could you leave us alone for now? I'll see you later for the night shoots, ne?" I said with a friendly pat on his shoulder.

"You got it. See ya later Hyde-san," Miya said. But Hyde didn't respond, just continued to look out over the expand of ocean in front of us.

We spent a few quiet minutes like that, nothing but the sound of the waves crashing in the ocean and the occasional bird flying overhead. Hyde stood in silence, the heavy breeze winding through his bleached locks and blowing his large white shirt around flowingly. I tried not to get jealous of the wind for having such freedom to grace Hyde's hair and skin the way I was longing to. I kneeled down beside him, picking out little shells and broken shards to toss back into the water after every time it ebbed.

"Taiwan is really beautiful," Hyde quietly noted. "Just standing here I feel so inspired,"

I looked up to him and his serene facial features with a smile. "I agree," I replied, standing up beside him. I was feeling inspired as well and not only was Taiwan beautiful, but especially so was Hyde right now. I wanted to capture the moment and put it in a glass to keep forever. "Maybe we should head back, grab some lunch?" Hyde turned to me and nodded and we started the quiet walk through the sand back to the bustle of staff and equipment lying about.

After enjoying some catered lunch with the rest of the crew members, the rest of the day passed by quickly. I was needed again for some more script checks and reviews on final changes for the upcoming shots the next day. As taxing as it was to have everything run by me and make so many decisions, it was pleasing to know that I still always had a say in the way things were being run. During the day, we had a man from Taiwan come to 'bless' the film's production. He brought along with him incense sticks and taught some of the crew a Chinese incantation to say, which should be spoken aloud before each shoot to ensure good fortune and success. I was off to the side at that time, under a set-up tent signing off on something when one of my staff members brought him to me. We bowed formally to each other and he blessed me and the script I held. I thanked him and we bowed to each other again as I saw him off.

While I stood outside of the tent for a bit, taking in the breeze as the sun blinded me, I looked over into the distance, hard of seeing without my sunglasses. But I caught a small figure in the distance holding the incense sticks. I shielded my eyes and upon further inspection realized it was Hyde – and he was shirtless. He bowed slightly to the North, then turned to the West, bobbing with the incense sticks as I took in the sight of his half-naked form. When he faced the South I found myself staring at those precious wing tattoos and my fingers nearly itched to feel the soft skin of his upper back beneath them again. I ducked back into the tent, unable to stand the heat from the sun, and the other warmth I was feeling from viewing Hyde like that.

Later, as the sky began to darken, my cast mates appeared again as we awaited the final darkness of our location for the perfect shot. The staff set up some folding chairs for us to sit in while we waited for them to line up the car and set up some lights for the next scene. As I sat in the cool sand, Hyde, with a large grin on his features, bounded over to me and sat down in one of the chairs. He started to animatedly talk about the scene where Kei tosses a cigarette to Sho and how it was probably doable. Before I could state the improbabilities, Hyde had already pulled out his pack of cigarettes and told me to get ready.

We spent the next few minutes sadly trying to recreate the upcoming scene. When Miya caught wind of what we were doing, he came over and filmed some of it. I was grateful because the smiles and laughter Hyde were emitting during our fun little moment was definitely something I wanted to be able to watch again and again.

Finally it was amply dark so we took our places in the car and started to film one of the pivotal scenes in the movie. In between takes, we goofed off with Taro, LeeHom and I rough-housing in the sand. It was fun, but left me wondering why Hyde was just staying back and laughing and not joining in more. We then lined up to take the photo that would be used as an actual prop for the film and I gloriously hung all over Hyde before Zeze-san stated that we should go for something a little more casual looking. Hyde cleared his throat and shot me a playful look so I obliged and backed-off a little, still smiling to myself because I had seen Miya snap a photo of the earlier moment.

Zeze-san suggested filming some shots for the monologue scene after that. Hyde had disappeared slightly off-set, smoking a cigarette and I tried to flag him down from afar. When the director looked over, just as Hyde was planning to douse his cig in the sand, Zeze told him to keep it for the shot. He had us line up on and around the car while he filmed some moments of us just hanging out together. Leehom and Zeny talked a bit, Taro stared off into the distance, but Hyde puffed away a few times, looking more comfortable on set then he had all day. And as I watched him, somewhat entranced and utterly pleased at seeing him fall easily into the filming, he turned to me, offering his cigarette. It took me less than a millisecond to take it from him, grinning as I did and fully knowing that what I considered to be a special bond between us was all being caught on tape for the world to see. When Zeze called cut, Miya took a few snapshots of us sitting on the car for promotional materials.

It was time again to film a scene similar to the one we had done in the morning, only with more plot, including some Chinese dialogue which Hyde surprised me with at his near-perfect pronunciations. I congratulated him on it later and attributed it to the fact that he either spent his entire afternoon with the dialogue coach, or had really been practicing.

All in all, we spent several hours doing the night shoot, ending much later than I had expected. I didn't think we would end up having so much fun goofing off between scenes and filming takes but we all got along so wonderfully that the natural chemistry of a friendship between cast mates was being captured on film. After some claps and cheers, I made my way back to the van, but not without Hyde trailing behind me.

"Do you want a ride back with me?" I asked and Hyde nodded, clambering into the van behind me. On the short ride back I talked with him about how wonderful I thought the shot had gone and how we were all falling into a natural friendship with the other cast mates. Hyde agreed, nodding his head excitedly to everything I said. As we entered the hotel I invited him to my room for a celebratory drink.

Hyde chatted me up the entire elevator ride and didn't stop until I finally interrupted him to ask what his liquor of choice was. He told me it didn't matter so I grabbed two wine glasses and poured us a couple of brandy's as he made himself comfortable on my couch.

I handed him a glass and held mine up. "To a very successful first day, and here's to hoping the rest of the shoot goes this well,"

Hyde gave a small laugh and '_kanpai_!' before clinging our drinks together. As I sat down beside him, hurriedly he gulped half of his brandy down.

"Whoa, slow down Hyde, or you'll be drunk in no time!" I said, pulling his glass away from him.

"I can't help it. I had such a great day today Gacchan, do you know it? I mean, I never expected it to be that much fun but it was. Every minute of it was amazing,"

Hyde continued to explain things that happened during the day as if I hadn't been there, and his excited animated gestures and speedy babbling were so lovable I didn't have the heart to stop him. In between breaths he would take a sip from his glass and comment on the sweet taste before jumping back into one of the many things that we experienced today.

"And I told you it would all turn out just fine, didn't I?" I said, resting my back against the end of the couch as Hyde drained the rest of his drink and sat the empty glass down.

"You were right, of course," Hyde replied with a hidden grin. "I'm deliriously happy right now-"

And then he leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips to mine.

My eyes widened in shock as my body froze and I looked at Hyde's very close face. And in an instant I saw Hyde's own eyes snap open and he flinched and pulled back very quickly, sinking into the back of his seat as a gentle red color began to fill his cheeks.

For a moment I remained completely still, staring at Hyde who looked as though he wanted to disappear right into the couch. My hand absently drew up to touch my lips as I contemplated saying something. Slowly I moved to set my brandy glass on the table.

"Hyde-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that," Hyde's quiet words flowed quickly out of his mouth.

"It's okay," I continued, starting to lean into him.

"I should really get going," Hyde replied, standing up quickly and straightening his long white shirt as he moved around the back of the couch.

"Hyde--"

"Thanks for the drink. I'll see you tomorrow," Hyde stated as he rushed to the door and, probably without intention, slammed it shut behind him after he left.

I continued to sit on the couch for a good while after he was gone, slowly finishing my brandy as I pondered the chaste peck of lips Hyde had given me and moreso his embarrassed reaction afterwards.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

**_I_** couldn't seem to force myself out of bed this morning. Knowing I had an extra hour to rest before the shoot started wasn't helping any. I lie there, conscious of everything around me, but unwilling to actually move about from my comfortable state.

Partially I was nervous about facing Gackt.

And stupid me, I wasn't even drunk last night so I couldn't use it as an excuse for kissing him.

Why, why? Why did I do it? One minute we were talking about the movie and the next I notice that Gackt's face is attached to mine and his eyes were wide and unsure and those blue orbs were glaring at me…

It was already too late though. I had done it. And while Gackt might have said '_it's okay_' that's exactly the reason it wasn't. I would have rather he pushed me off and send me out of his room immediately rather than telling me what I did was okay. Because it was _not_ okay.

I can't deny that in the back of my mind I had always wondered if Gackt would ever make a move on me again. Lord knows I had set myself up for it plenty of times. I had practically prepared myself for such an act to occur – Gackt making an advance, touching me somewhere unwelcome, kissing me when I didn't want it… My messed up mind had somewhat expected it to happen here in Taiwan.

What I didn't expect, was that it would occur the other way around – as in _me_ wanting to touch _him_, and the scandalous imageries of him sucking me off that I had wanked off to a few nights back... and the fact that last night, in my delirious state, I kissed him._ I_ KISSED HIM.

I crawled out of bed, scratching here and there as I padded to the bathroom to freshen up for the day. I checked my cell, which I had left sitting on the sink, and noticed two missed calls; one from Tetsu and one from Sakura. I wasn't in the mood to speak with Sakura, especially with my current guilt, but Tetsu might be able to cheer me up. I flipped to speaker phone and hit the speed-dial digit for his number. 

"Hellllooo," Tetsu's voice rang on the other end.

"Hey Tetchan, I just saw you called me last night," I started, splashing my face with water.

"I did! Because I heard from Ken who heard from _someone else_ who heard from _you_ that you're in Taiwan now... Is that right? For this movie thing with GACKT?" Tetsu said, enunciating Gackt's name strangely.

I toweled my face off. "It's true. I'm here. In Taiwan," My mind began to wonder how much these long-distance calls I'd been making the past few days were going to charge me. "It's gorgeous here, you know?"

"You know Hyde I was thinking than when Laruku gets back together we should do a tour all around Asia. Maybe hit up Taiwan too, especially if it's so nice. Say maybe you can look up some venues, get some prices?"

"Whoa, whoa," I started, picking up the phone to move it with me to the breakfast nook. "Firstly, I never get involved in that side of the band's work load - I've got enough on my plate already. Secondly, something like that is far off yet and third, this movie thing is taking up all my time right now. Not to mention I'm trying to enjoy myself somewhat, too. This is my only vacation, you know?" I started the coffee pot and rinsed out the cup I had used the day before.

"I know, I know. You're right. So hey, have you actually filmed anything yet?" Tetsu responded, sounding as though his day was just getting started too as I heard him take a noisy sip over the phone.

"A few scenes yeah. I'm having a lot of fun," I explained, remembering back to the crazy time we had on the beach. "It's all going so fast too, you know?"

"Don't worry, it'll all be over before you know it," Tetsu replied. I blinked. He made it sound as though I wanted it to be over.

"Well, yea… I guess that's true…" I sadly replied, finding some sugar to toss into my cup.

"And then you'll be back in Japan and you'll be away from Gackt's clutches and you and I can hang out again. As in we'll plan stuff for Laruku," Tetsu chimed.

Wait. Gackt's '_clutches'_? Where was he getting that crazy idea?

"Tetsu, I'm honestly having fun here. I'm not even thinking about Japan," I admitted as the coffee pot started to gurgle.

"Yeah, yeah. Well listen; you keep having _fun_ and call me again sometime, ok? I keep thinking of all these things we should be doing so we have quite a list to accomplish when you return," Tetsu said with a chuckle before hanging up.

I shook the odd conversation out of my head and tapped on the hot coffee pot before deciding it was done enough and poured myself a steaming cup.

I opened my hotel door to retrieve the newspaper and incidentally my call sheet was lying with it. As I read over my events for the day I noted that tonight I was going to have some wire work to do.

Wire work? Ah yes, that's right. As a vampire I am expected to have supernatural powers wherein I can move a lot faster than everyone else and nearly fly. Very cool, overall, but this meant I'd have to practice getting hooked up to the wires and testing my body movement with it. Well, it should be interesting at least. This afternoon I only had one minor re-take to film and the rest of the time was mine.

After filming my scene I hung out with LeeHom for a bit, but we didn't really talk because I don't know much Chinese and neither is my English strong enough to hold a decent, normal conversation. And LeeHom's Japanese sucks, so as far as communication goes, there really wasn't much talking. But LeeHom is also a musician, a famous artist known in Taiwan and so there was a common ground between us. He had a laptop with him so we spent some time finding websites to ogle for fun. LeeHom is good-looking and fun to be around - much preferable company to my other castmates - so I didn't mind spending my free time being with him.

I didn't see Gackt throughout the day, as he was shooting several scenes within the city areas and elsewhere. LeeHom, his staffs and mine all went out at some small restaurant to eat but again there wasn't much conversation. It was really for the company more than anything.

As the sun finally left the sky I head down near the beach where a few trainers waited with a large stand and an uncomfortable looking harness to hook me up to. I wondered if leather pants were the wrong choice.

After they had me all strapped in and the wires were attached, we tried a few movements. It's really not too difficult once you get the hang of it, but the first few times it is scary. Jumping off a large stand, putting all your trust into a string… it's a little intimidating. Not to mention the harness isn't all that comfortable to wear. But I had to trust in it to keep me from severely injuring myself so I jumped around, up, over, and off the stand… all of these movements several times until the crew was satisfied that I had a decent hang of the contraption. As the staff unhooked me, I thanked them and started the slow walk back to my hotel, twisting my back and wondering if I would be sore tomorrow. Thankfully I didn't have any shoots to attend the next day, but I was planning on going to set just for the sake of watching LeeHom and Gackt act together. And I would be able to hang out in a comfy chair on the side all day if I really wanted. I stretched my arms over my head in an attempt to release the knot in my shoulder but it only resulted in hurting me more.  
_Damn vampire powers. Damn wires. Damn soreness._

I entered the hotel and decided to head all the way up to Gackt's floor and see if he had returned for the day. It was his first full day shooting alone and since I couldn't be around to watch him, I at least wanted to see how things had gone. Thankfully he was in his hotel room and immediately invited me in with a smile.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked from the other room as I made myself comfortable on the couch.

"Maybe just some water," I replied, rubbing a lower section of my back. Gackt appeared with a bottle of Volvic in his hands and twisted open the cap before handing it to me. "Thanks," I answered, taking a long sip of the cool drink.

"How did your wire training go? I'm going to have to do that in a few days and I'm excited for it,"

"I found it difficult," I responded, setting the bottle of water on the table. I stretched an arm over my back again to press on the tender spot. "It wasn't bad once I got the hang of it, but I have a feeling I'll be sore tomorrow,"

"Did you stretch beforehand?" Gackt asked, wincing as he watched me try to pop my back.

"Oh, uh, of course…" I half-lied, not having stretched very much further than some arm pulls over my head. I admit I was too anxious to try the thing out and never thought it would take a toll on my body like this.

Gackt shook his head as if he could tell that I was lying and clicked his tongue at me. "Do you want me to rub your back?"

Recalling the night before, and wondering if Gackt had put the minor kiss incident behind him, I was somewhat leery of saying yes. But he was offering and I was sore and I didn't doubt it would feel good so I obliged, turning around on the couch so my back was facing him.

"No, no that won't work. If it's your back you'll have to be lying down," Gackt started, standing up from the couch. "Go on, get on the floor," he pointed as I contemplated doing as he told. Gackt moved the table out of the way to make room for me so I slowly slid off the couch and lie on the carpet on my stomach, folding my arms in front of me to rest my head on.

I heard Gackt rustle a bit behind me and soon felt his large hands on my back, pressing firmly onto my shoulder blades.

"Where does it hurt?" Gackt quietly asked as he began to move his hands around in circles.

"Everywhere," I said with a stifled laugh due to the way I was laying. "But mainly my right shoulder,"

I felt Gackt's hands move there and begin to knead tenderly, pushing and moving and softening the spot. Slowly I could feel the tension in the area fading away as he worked. His hands moved around the rest of my back then but I heard him sigh in annoyance.

"What's wrong?" my muffled voice asked. I was so comfortable lying there I could have fallen asleep, but I could tell something was bothering him.

"Your shirt, it's just… it's big on you so it's bunching up everywhere as I try to work," Gackt responded and I felt his hands pause; the warmth on my back was gone and the good sensations stopped. I lifted my head and looked back at him, wanting him to continue.

"Well… would it work better if I took it off?" Inside I was slapping myself for making such a suggestion to get half-naked in front of Gackt. But he had been taking the whole thing very professionally thus far and he was making the pain in my back go away, which felt amazing, so I wanted it to continue, no matter what I had to do.

"If you would like, yes that would definitely help," Gackt replied as I propped myself up and started to remove the baggy black shirt I had been wearing. Gackt helped me release my arms from it and tossed it onto the couch as I lie back down and awaited his hands on me again.

This time the feeling was even better – Gackt's warm, rough hands pressed on my warm back and the heat between our skins created a fantastic sensation. Gackt kneaded around my right shoulder again and I literally felt the knot of pain disappear. Gackt noted it too as he then moved his hands around the rest of my back and up to my neck where it felt particularly nice. I emitted some content noises out of pure pleasure. The soreness was fading away as Gackt's moved across my back.

As the tension was being relieved from Gackt's strong hands at work, I couldn't help but think how much I'd really needed this massage, or how much I could really use him after a strenuous event, like a concert. But would Gackt ever come to one of my concerts? Just as I was entertaining the thought of what would be like a secret co-op mission just for Gackt to even attend a L'Arc-en-Ciel gig without being caught by fans, I felt a tingling sensation along my upper back. Gackt's fingers were tracing lines along my skin and I smiled to myself when I noticed he was outlining my wing tattoo.

I felt his hands move lower then, slowly testing around the sides of my ribs. I wasn't entirely ticklish but it made me flinch a little at the contact on the tender spot. His hands moved again, down to my lower back and he rubbed along my spine there. Kneading small circles tenderly, Gackt's hands continued to work until I felt the tips of his fingers slip beneath the waist of my leather pants.

I jumped from my position and lifted my head to look back at him. "What are you doing?" I demanded. Gackt looked over at me as though whatever he was doing was normal.

"Oh, I didn't mean to startle you. The only other person I give backrubs to is You-kun and he always likes a full massage. Your back technically goes to the end of your tailbone," Gackt replied sensically, as I felt him trace his hand down my spine and just over my buttocks to where my tailbone ended. My breath hitched in my throat at his hand remained there. I shifted my body to roll over and Gackt backed away from me a little as I moved.

"I'm fine now, but thanks. That felt good," I started, sitting up and reaching over the couch to retrieve my shirt. Gackt smiled tenderly at me as I slipped it on and stood up, helping him put the coffee table back into its spot. For a moment we stood there and I shifted uncomfortably until Gackt sat down on the couch and tilted his head indicating me to join him.

"So I guess now I owe you a back rub sometime?" I started with a laugh, picking up my water from the table and taking a sip as Gackt smiled at me.

"Are you saying I should book you in advance? Because my wire training is next week," Gackt led on as I sat down next to him on the couch.

"I have to warn you though, I'm not nearly as skillful with my hands as you are," I said, shaking my free hand around limply. Gackt leaned into me.

"Let me be the judge of that because I'd love the chance to find out," Gackt grinned and I swallowed as he got up from our shared seat and I watched him walk around the back of the couch and disappear into the small kitchen area. I nursed my water for a bit until he returned with his own bottle of water and sat down next to me again.

"Oh Hyde, I meant to ask you; last night when-"

"Oh god, look, I'm sorry about the… kiss…thing. That… it was--," I stuttered. "I just wanted to—I mean… no, not that I_ wanted_ to, um, kiss you, it just… I don't know what I was thinking. But it was barely a kiss anyway; can we just forget it happened?"

Gackt blinked at me. "I was… referring to _the movie shoot_ last night, actually…"

"Oh…" I felt my face grow even warmer. "Right, of course…"

A small grin filled Gackt's face. "You _wanted_ to kiss me?"

"What about the movie shoot last night?" I said through tight lips, trying to prevent Gackt from changing the topic.

"Today they gave me all the pictures we took and I want your opinion on which one you think would be the best one to use for the movie prop, since Kei is the one who holds onto the photo after all. I think you should have a say in which one we use," Gackt stated, leaning his arm around the back of the couch.

"Really? Ok, yeah, let's see them," I agreed and Gackt stood up indicating me to follow him.

"I have them lying on my bed right now because I found it was easier to look at them all spread out rather than one at a time," I followed Gackt into his bedroom as he turned on a light so I could look at the pictures. There were several photos but it only took me a moment to find the one I liked best.

"That one," I said, pointing it out and then reaching to pick it up. "I like this one," I faced Gackt with a smile and handed him the photo. He looked at it and smiled back at me.

"Well that was easy enough," he replied with a chuckle, clearing the rest of the photos from his bed and laying them on the nightstand. "I'll give this one to the prop manager tomorrow,"

I nodded and stood in the room with him, hands on my hips. Gackt put the photo aside and turned to look at me.

"So…" I started, thinking I should probably leave because it was getting late.

"So you kissed me last night because you _wanted_ to, Hyde, is that what you said?" Gackt asked, reiterating that I should have physically done what I was just mentally thinking about doing. I didn't know how to respond.

"No… No, I, uh… th-that's not what I meant to say," The room felt like it was getting smaller as Gackt start to move closer to me.

"Then what did you mean, Hyde?" Gackt stood very near to me now and reached up a hand to touch the side of my face.

"I… I don't…" My breath caught in my throat. Gackt started to tilt his head down and his eyes began to close. "I don't…" I could feel his warm breath along my face as his mouth approached mine. "I don't think we should do this,"

Gackt's eyes opened and he looked at me. He pulled back a little and I moved his hand off my face.

"We can be friends; we can hang out together outside of filming and talk, and go to dinner, and shoot pool…" I specifically left out the word 'drinking', knowing what trouble it had gotten us into in the past. "But we can't do this." I looked into Gackt's eyes, curious what he was thinking at that moment.

"You started it," Gackt deadpanned. My mouth fell open a bit.

"What?"

"Last night _you_ kissed me. You started this," Gackt responded, a strangely serious look on his face.

"No I didn't _really_ kiss you. We barely touched lips," I explained, hating to have Gackt believe I'm the one who started this up again.

"So it didn't count then, is that what you're saying?" Gackt said, looking as though he was trying to keep the corner of his lips from turning upward.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Right. It didn't count," I responded. _Well that settles that_.

"Ah," Gackt noised, rubbing his chin.

"Look, I should get going. It's late and you have an early shoot tomorrow, am I right?" I started to leave, walking through the hotel room toward the front door with Gackt trailing behind me.

"Yes, with LeeHom. Are you coming to watch?" He asked, leaning against the wall as I checked my pockets to make sure I had my key and cell phone.

"I might drop by," I added with a smile. Before I even had time to blink, Gackt leaned forward and lightly touched his lips onto mine, then pulled back. "Gackt, what the…?"

"That didn't count either," He beamed a smile at me. I narrowed my eyes as I glared at the satisfied look on his face. "Goodnight, Hyde."

"Good…night…" I gave him one more weird look before exiting his hotel room as he quietly closed the door behind me.

_Why that bastard_. He must have planned that all along; luring me into saying such a thing and then using it as an excuse to kiss me back!

As I rode the elevator down to my own room, fingers fondling my lips absently, I tried to push away the deep inner feelings telling me I wanted more.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**A**_s I sat in one of the director's chairs just off-set, awaiting the crew to finish setting up for LeeHom and mine's scene, my mind continued to flood me with thoughts of my time with Hyde last night. The set-up couldn't have been any better; Hyde's back being sore, the large shirt he was wearing, the discounting of the kiss...

I stared off into the distance, my palms warming at the very reminder of Hyde's warm, naked skin beneath them. His small back, moving, kneading under the pressure, the gentle lines of his wing tattoo shifting slightly as I rubbed along his skin and my fingers, itching from earlier in the day, finally being able to trace along the cautious markings on his upper back just as I had wanted to. Not only was it an intimate setting, but the way I felt upon realizing I had the power to make Hyde emit such pleasurable little sounds was making it difficult to remain focused as my hands eagerly touched his body.

I had to shake the thoughts quickly when we were finally called on set and admittingly the first few takes were awful. I fudged a line, I moved when I shouldn't have... Zeze yelled 'cut' and we moved off to the side. As LeeHom and I rehearsed the scene again, we heard in the distance a strange sound. It sort of sounded like a small engine. When Zeze-san called us back in front of the cameras, we filmed the scene successfully and then I shook LeeHom's hand as we separated. I went off to the side, looking over my script as I lit up a cigarette when I heard the sound again. Looking up I noticed it was coming from a Taiwan small bike – and there was someone riding it with such a happy face.

Of course it was none other than Hyde, joyriding on the bicycle in the distance. I shook my head and smiled, watching him for a bit before turning my attention back to practicing my Chinese for the next scene we were about to shoot. As much as I would have loved to just sit there and watch him, he had already been distracting me enough mentally. Again I heard the bike puttering in the distance and as I glanced up, I saw him riding away.

That evening as the sun was setting and I was returning to the hotel, my cellular began to beep and I saw Hyde's name on my display. With a grin, I opened the text message:

_Not too hot today. Meet me at the beach?_

_Of course - be right there. Dinner?_ I typed back.

My phone beeped again in his reply: _Already got it covered... Ja ne._

I entered my hotel, changing out of my wardrobe and into something lighter and more comfortable. Before I left, I reached into the liquor cabinet and grabbed a certain bottle before making my way down to the beach to meet Hyde.

As I walked over I couldn't help but glance up at the sky. The setting of the sun was producing the most luminous colors – swirls of orange, purple, pink, blues… all mixing into a beautiful blend. As I approached the beach I saw Hyde's silhouette as he stood in the sand, his shoes tossed off to the side. I neared him silently and put the liquor down on the sand next to him. A small smile turned up the corner of his lips as he acknowledged my presence but he continued to watch the waves and I noticed how the gorgeous hues of the sky were painting colors along the features of his young-looking face.

"Listen…" Hyde spoke quietly. I turned forward and watched the sun disappearing behind the moving water. The waves crashed along the beach softly, creating a pleasant background noise that filled the silence around us.

"The world's oldest song…" I gently added and Hyde turned to look up at me. I smiled at him. "It's lovely here, isn't it?"

Hyde nodded and grinned at me before looking down to the bottle sitting in the sand. "What did you bring along?" He bent down to pick it up and read the bottle. _"'Pre-made Sex on the Beach alcohol mix. Just shake and serve.'_ Wow, I didn't know they sold this," he finished with a laugh.

"It's one of my favorite mixed drinks. But I don't have a blender in my hotel room so I thought I'd try this out," I said, putting a hand into my pocket as Hyde started to shake the bottle.

"But doesn't buying a pre-made blend take away from what makes mixed drinks so good in the first place?" Hyde asked, twisting the cap open.

"Would you prefer we made _our own_ sex on the beach then, Hyde?" I smirked at the play on words.

Hyde's head shot up to look at me with wide eyes before he let out a nervous laugh and playfully punched my arm. He took a swig of the bottle and smacked his lips a few times.

"Eh, it's not that bad," he finally responded handing me the bottle. I took a drink from it and swirled it around in my mouth for a bit.

"Of course it doesn't beat the actual thing but it'll do for now," I handed the bottle back to him but he declined. "Today while on set I heard a Taiwan small bike…"

Hyde grinned. "That thing is fun. I was trying to get your attention but you never looked at me,"

I took another sip before capping the bottle. "Oh, I saw you,"

"Well I didn't think you did. I kept riding around but, damn I was so lonely," he chuckled. "So after a while I rode off,"

"We could use that bike for a couple shots in our photobook, if you want," I suggested, as Hyde slid on his shoes.

"I'm up for that," He exclaimed and motioned me to follow. "Say, didn't you mention they'd be taking more photos on set for that book?"

"You'll see more of Miya-san around with that fancy camera of his. He's going to be on set tomorrow, just so you're aware." I caught up to walk alongside of Hyde. "By the way, where are we going?" I asked.

"I saw this place today and wanted to try it out. You don't mind spicy food, right?" he asked, grinning up at me.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

_____**D**_espite how amazing the restaurant looked and smelled from the outside, dinner was quite horrible; but thankfully only the food was bad. Gackt and I really enjoyed ourselves, laughing at the misfortunes of the meal with him teasing me at intervals for picking such a spot. It could have gone badly, but it was actually one of the more fun outings I'd ever had with him.

The two pots of sake we went through probably assisted that, too.

Warm, drunk, and laughing, we made our way back to the hotel where I invited him into my room. I always carry food with me and due to our lackluster dining experience, we were both still hungry.

I went to the hutch, opening it up to see what would be good. "Well I have a variety of instant yakisoba. You tell me what sounds good to you; beef, chicken, shrimp--"

Then I felt two arms wrap around my waist and Gackt was draping himself over my back, his head resting on my shoulder as he eyed the food in front of us.

"Why don't we skip right to dessert…" Gackt slightly slurred, leaving his warm breath across the side of my neck as he spoke.

Although I was feeling quite drunk, I was still aware enough to know that what was he was trying to start was not normal for people who were supposed to be just _friends_ now. I pulled his arms off of me as I turned around. "Do you want some water to drink? I'll pop some ramen in the microwave for us to eat,"

"I'm not hungry for _ramen_, Hyde," Gackt stated, invading all of my personal space as he forwardly pursued, causing me to move backward until I reached the wall with my back.

"Gacchan…" I started as he leaned his head forward near my neck.

"You smell good, Hyde," Gackt commented quietly.

"I stink like the restaurant and so do you," I responded, lazily attempting to push him away.

He barely budged and simply grinned at me. "You're adorable," he remarked.

"And you're drunk," I replied.

"I drank as much sake as you," Gackt stated. "In fact, I think you had a cup or two more than I did,"

"I just handle my alcohol better," I retorted.

"Liar," Gackt accused with a laugh. He leaned in close, our faces nearly touching. "I know how you get with alcohol in your system…"

There was no denying how I was feeling toward him right now, especially with all the advances Gackt had been making since we'd been at the restaurant. It started with resting his hand on mine every once in a while, then more frequent casual touches, but once the sake started to warm our blood, Gackt had slid over in the booth so he was practically on top of me and every time we laughed about something he'd use it as an excuse to lean into me or drape his arm around my shoulder.

And now that we were in the confine of my hotel room, Gackt was openly pursuing me and I was trying my damndest to act uninterested. Though truly the fact that Gackt and his inviting lips were mere inches away from me right now was very interesting, not to mention very tempting.

"Gacchan…we…can't…" I quietly sputtered as he looked at me with hooded, lust-filled eyes and moved his lips very near to mine.

"I thought last night we agreed that kisses didn't count…" Gackt whispered, moving forward just enough that I felt his soft lips on mine. As soon as my eyes started to flutter shut at the pleasant feeling, he pulled away. And I found out then that I was left wanting more.

"They don't…" I whispered, watching Gackt's lips closely. They formed a small smile and then I felt them on me again; a brief and tender touch and then it was over.

"Good. Just wanted to make sure we're both on the same page," Gackt whispered, looking into my eyes before lightly pressing his lips onto mine a third time.

And as enjoyable as it was, it was more of a tease than anything. The brief seconds of affection gracing my lips were making it hard to keep myself from devouring Gackt's mouth completely. Though the light pecks were more frequent and coming faster with each kiss, I didn't want to be the one to make that first move to turn it into something more. After all, I was supposed to be the one who was against this; I wasn't supposed to be enjoying it.

Regardless of whatever Gackt and mine's strange agreement on kissing had become, it still didn't stop me from my real belief in what a kiss was; an expression of love.

And putting the words 'Gackt' and 'love' in the same sentence caused my stomach to flop unexpectedly.

Gackt paused then, stopping just in front of my mouth, his blue eyes downcast as though he had heard my feelings aloud. It felt like forever that he hovered in front of my face like that without any contact between us. Part of me wanted to move my face forward and suck on those full lips of his for all it was worth. But the rational part of my brain finally reacted and decided to use the moment to turn my head away from Gackt's face, causing a bit of sobriety to hit us both. Gackt stood up straight, his hand moving to his mouth as I remained leaning back against the wall.

"I'm…sorry, Hyde," Gackt quietly apologized. I turned to face him.

"Hey, it… didn't count, remember?" I supplied, trying to use that reason to validate what just happened. Gackt looked at me gravely as I wiped my mouth off. "So, which noodle flavor do you want?"

"Beef would be fine," Gackt quickly answered and I shuffled around to prepare it, trying to act as though nothing just happened.

But Gackt's quiet demeanor as I worked was making me uncomfortable. I could guess that he probably wanted to talk about what just took place, but I couldn't see how that would help things any. Apparently we both thought it would be best to pretend what we just did was nothing more than a figment of our imaginations.

* * *

___-__Gackt's POV_- 

_**O**_n set the next day, I found myself spending my breaks with LeeHom, practicing my Chinese with him as he asked me some simple sentences in Japanese. It seemed like Hyde had been avoiding me; despite me getting in a small hug with him after every take, he would always disappear right after, therefore never giving me a chance to sit and talk with him.

Not that I was even sure what I was going to say to Hyde anyway. The events of the night prior started off unbelievably fun but as soon as we tempted crossing the invisible line between us, things turned south. And not in the way they could have. Instead, Hyde and I became uneasily silent around each other, eating ramen noodles quietly in each other's presence and then I excused myself shortly afterward, saying I was tired.

Truth be told, I was far from tired. Rather I was frustrated, both mentally and certainly sexually. Kissing Hyde had undoubtedly become one of my favorite things to do. When it was taken away from me the first time it stung to think I might never get to do it again. But when he had presented himself to me a few nights ago, be it a 'mistake' as he said, or not, it was enlightening to think we might be able to cross that bridge once more.

And we tried to last night. But I was leery of taking things further when I knew he didn't really want it, despite how I felt. And the fact that I was fully aware how drunk we both were on sake made it feel as though I was taking advantage of our situation.

As I sat with LeeHom, I started to spout off some of my frustration to him. I knew the words I was saying were all above his understanding but as a good friend, he stayed and nodded now and then and more than anything, acted as a sounding board for me to get some of this off my chest. I accidentally blurted Hyde's name a few times but since the other words I was saying were too complicated for LeeHom to translate, I didn't worry about it.

As I spoke later with Zeze-san, wondering where Hyde disappeared to, I saw LeeHom and Taro sitting off to the side. Somehow it always seemed as though the two of them got along, which was great, but I often wondered what they spoke about - Taro doesn't know a lick of English nor Chinese and LeeHom's knowledge of the Japanese language doesn't include anything of the kansai dialect, which Taro often broke into when speaking. I had to smile at their quick friendship despite the language barriers.

After I finished going over some changes in the script with Zeze-san, I asked my staff if they had seen Hyde and they mentioned to me that he left set to take a walk.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_- 

**_O_**n the set that night as Gackt was heavy in discussion with the crew about the scene we just filmed, I sat alone on the side, finishing off a cigarette when Taro came over to me.

Taro and I didn't really get along, other than having to be cast mates. We didn't share a single thing in common so it was strange to see him willingly coming to sit with me while we waited another take.

"I heard from LeeHom that Gackt offered you _sex on the beach_ last night," Taro said out of nowhere.

"What?" I spat, turning to look at him. Taro chuckled to himself, readjusting his vest as I glared at him.

"Don't try denying it since the source of my information is actually Gackt himself," Taro stated, leaning back on his arms.

"No, we had a _drink_ on the beach. …it just happened to be named that," I annoyingly admitted.

"Ha!" Taro shouted, pointing at me and laughing. "LeeHom told me Gackt was letting some of his frustrations out on set this morning. And every other sentence had your name in it," Taro finished, looking forward to watch the crew move some lights around.

"…what? Gackt was talking about me?" I asked and Taro simply nodded. "Wait, how would LeeHom have understood any of that, he doesn't speak Japanese!"

"He knows some things. And I've been trying to teach him stuff – you know, the important words; Like locations, and things to say to pick up girls," Taro chuckled to himself. "Apparently I taught him just enough to be able to understand whatever Gackt had to say about you,"

That sentence in itself was curious, as many people don't have an easy time understanding Gackt, let alone someone who doesn't speak Japanese. But still I looked down at my hands and began to fret about whatever it was Gackt said to LeeHom this morning. And that could have been anything since Gackt didn't know LeeHom would understand some of it … _oh God…_ what things did LeeHom know about what Gackt and I have been through? And worse, which of those things was LeeHom telling Taro…

"And you're the only Hyde I know of so who else would it have been he was gushing over?" Taro interrupted. I continued to stare at the ground when Taro leaned into me. "What's going on between you two?"

"What? Nothing! We're just friends," I said as Taro pursed his lips and gave me an unbelieving stare. "We just have a lot in common, you know, with the music biz… and stuff…"

"Right…" Taro laughed, smacked me in the arm, and stood up. "See ya on set, lover boy,"

I scowled at him as he walked away. _Dammit_. I had to find Gackt and let him know this bit of info I just discovered.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_- 

_**A**_s I returned to the set I saw Hyde sitting on the bench, trilling over his lines. No doubt he was practicing the Chinese dialogue. I didn't want to interrupt him, as he looked to be in careful concentration. But after we filmed the scene and Zeze said he got the shot, I said goodbye to my other cast mates and rushed to catch up with Hyde.

"Hyde, wait up," I said, catching up with him as he shuffled slowly off the set.

"Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you," Hyde started, shoving his hands into the pockets of his baggy black pants.

"Really? I'd never have guessed with how ignorant you were of me today," I replied, causing Hyde to stop and look at me. "Gomen. I hadn't meant that sentence to come off so acidic," I quickly apologized and motioned for him to continue.

"LeeHom understands," Hyde stated and now it was my turn to stop and look at him.

"LeeHom understands what?" I asked and Hyde stopped walking to face me.

"Tonight… Taro came to me and he said that LeeHom said you had been talking to him," Hyde explained. I pulled out a cigarette and stared strangely at Hyde.

"Well yes, I was. But LeeHom doesn't--" I paused. Hyde was nodding slowly at me. "LeeHom… understands…?"

"He understands enough. Taro's been teaching him some Japanese on the side and apparently it was enough for him to pick up on some of the things you told him about me… By the way, care to share any of that?" Hyde furrowed his brow and started to chew on his lip.

I was still shocked over the fact that LeeHom might have possibly understood some things that I had told him today. "It wasn't anything bad, Hyde. I've never said an unkind word about you,"

"I know _that_. But did you tell him anything about… _us_? Because he's aware we had sex on the beach last night--" Hyde shook his head quickly then, "…you know what I mean."

"I think everyone knows the word '_sex_' no matter what language you're using," I explained with a small chuckle, stopping to light my cigarette and let out a few puffs. "But there's no way he could understand the rest of it,"

"I don't know, Gackt," Hyde started, rubbing the back of his head. "But he's been telling Taro and now Taro is acting weirder than usual around me and…" He let out a loud sigh. "Just watch who you tell stuff to. Even if LeeHom didn't understand you, there are still a lot of ears around set,"

I exhaled a grey fume of smoke and smiled at Hyde, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Hyde. What we do is between us and no one else,"

And just as I finished saying that, a bright flash went off, causing the two of us to squint and turn.

"Miya-san!" I accused when my eyes recovered from the blinding light. I heard Hyde growl under his breath.

"Hey Gackt-san! I thought I'd take one last photo for the night and that looked like a good shot," my cameraman explained, clicking a button on the camera in his hands.

"Please don't do that," I calmly reprimanded, looking around the ground for wherever my dropped cigarette landed. "I will let you know when it's a good time to take photos. We just had a long shoot and are tired and on our way home,"

"My apologies boss," Miya said, giving me a low bow. "These candid shots are always the best ones though. Well, I'll see you on set tomorrow," he said and disappeared in the other direction. As I said goodbye to him I noticed when I turned that Hyde was no longer standing there. Glancing around quickly, I saw that he was now about to cross the street and get in one of the white vans awaiting the crew. I gave up on the search for my fallen cigarette and rushed toward the vans lining the street just off-set. The one Hyde got into had already taken off so I hopped in the one behind it and asked to be taken to the hotel right away.

The van I was in pulled up to the hotel just as Hyde's was taking off so I rushed out of it and into the hotel where I waved to Hyde to hold the elevator doors. He extended an arm to keep them open just as I entered and dipped my head slightly to him in thanks. We rode silently for a couple floors.

"Are you mad at me, Hyde?" I asked, turning to face him. Hyde looked up to watch the numbers on the display change with each floor.

"No, I'm not at mad you. Who knew LeeHom would understand Japanese?" Hyde replied in a tired voice, not bothering to look at me as he spoke. I studied his face, particularly looking for the little tell-tale sign at his mouth; it was there.

"If you're mad at me, just say so," I pressured, this time capturing Hyde's attention as he turned to face me.

"I just said I wasn't," Hyde reiterated and I leaned forward.

"Hyde, I know you better than that. I'm sorry for whatever I did that caused you to be ignorant toward me-"

"Look, I'm not mad at you and I wasn't trying to be ignorant either. I'm just not having a very good day, ok?" His voice had risen slightly in volume before he sighed and turned to watch the elevator numbers again.

"Is everything alright? You should know that you can talk to me about anything," I lowered my tone, concern lacing my voice as the elevator rang for Hyde's floor. He let out a sigh as the doors opened.

"Follow me," he said and I walked behind him until he opened his hotel room and we both stepped in. "Today I got as many calls from my agent as I did from Megumi,"

"Oh…" I started, sitting myself on the couch and already feeling somewhat uneasy with the conversation at just the mere mention of his wife's name.

"Yeah, and I told her specifically not to call me so I ignored them but later when I was checking my messages I realized why she was ringing me," Hyde started, waving his hands around. "Do you want something to drink?" He paused in his actions to address me. I looked up, somewhat surprised because I was lost in my own thoughts.

"No, thank you. I'm fine," I gave him a slight smile and Hyde nodded, disappearing to retrieve a drink for himself.

"Anyway, the whole thing is…" Hyde came and sat next to me. He took a breath and sat down his glass before looking at me. "I gotta go back to Japan for a bit…"

"What?" I exclaimed. Well he certainly had my full attention now. "But Hyde--"

"Look Gackt, I know, I'm messing everything up. But I _have_ to go back to Japan for a couple days. And you're the one in charge here so I know you can change things around and make this work for me, right?" Hyde blinked up at me. He scooted closer on the seat we shared, placing each of his hands on my knees.

It would be difficult to say no to this face. Hyde was looking up at me, wide-eyed and patiently awaiting whatever it is I was going to say. Having him leave for the next few days, not to mention having to completely re-do the call sheets for the upcoming week and work around a schedule that didn't involve any of his scenes would definitely prove to be difficult for me. Of course it could be done – it wasn't him missing the movie shoots that I was concerned about; it was having him be away from me and back in Japan with his wife that bothered me.

Hyde blinked at me, brow furrowed, eyes locked into my gaze, and hands warm on my kneecaps. I gave him a small smile and placed my hands on top of his.

"Of course I can make it work, Hyde." I quietly admitted. He beamed a smile back at me. "I'll see what I can do for you,"

"Thank you Gacchan. Really, thank you," He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around my back in a hug. It only took a moment for me to copy his actions, linking my arms together around his small frame. I pulled him in closer to me, turning my head into his hair and inhaling his scent. Despite having a laborious day, Hyde always managed to have a fresh and clean smell about him. It mingled with the faintness of cigarettes and deodorant, and yet there was a light hint of innocent vanilla wisped through his hair.

I heard a slight noise from him and felt him move from within my embrace so I loosened my hold and Hyde pulled back, looking away almost nervously. He stood up and bowed to me then.

"I've gotta start packing some stuff but you're welcome to hang around here if you want," Hyde finally said, sounding as though he was saying it just to be nice rather than really meaning it, and then he disappeared to his bedroom space. I sat on the couch for a bit as he noised about in the back before deciding I should spent these last few moments with Hyde since I wasn't going to see him for the next couple of days. Getting up, I made my way back to his bedroom as I saw him scratching his head in contemplation of which of his massive wardrobe to take back home for the next few days.

"Want some help?" I offered, standing in the doorway. Hyde turned to look at me with a grin.

"I'm awful at this. And it will take me forever to choose what to wear. You're going to get bored watching me," he added with a small laugh.

"I highly doubt that," I replied, grinning back at him. I saw a faint blush cover his cheeks as he shook his hair with a hand and went back to staring at his clothing splayed across the bed. We were silent then; I stood a few feet behind Hyde as he stood motionless in front of his bed, staring at the hollow luggage.

"What am I going to do with you gone these next few days?" I asked, moving to sit on an un-clothed area of his bed.

Hyde laughed as he tossed a pair of jeans into the luggage. "Please, Gacchan. It's not like anything we do is terribly exciting…" _I could think of a few ways to change that_, I mused to myself. "I'm sure the movie will keep you busy and you won't even realize that I'm not here," Hyde casually remarked, hanging two shirt blouses over the side of the open suitcase.

"Now that's not true and you know it," I replied, watching him attempt to carefully fold the shirts nicely into the luggage compartment. "I've become accustomed to seeing you every day. Though… even when you are here, it's somewhat torturous. I'm around you all day and yet I can't be with you,"

Hyde stopped and turned to look at me. "You're with me right now…" Hyde quietly supplied. I glared at him.

"No, you know what I mean," I said, standing up from the bed and moving closer to him. "And in your absense these next few days it will surely make me realize how much I really love being with you, Hyde,"

As Hyde stood there, looking up at me with confusion and curiosity behind his eyes, I decided that it was now or never. Swiftly I moved forward, grabbing the sides of Hyde's small shoulders and pressing my lips tightly to his. At first, Hyde's body tensed but then I felt him relax in my grip, his mouth parting slightly beneath mine, at which point I took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Hyde quietly moaned as my tongue entered his mouth and he allowed me to explore. My hands moved around his back to pull him closer to me and I felt his cautious hands move to my sides as I continued to kiss him.

While it felt like we were connected for quite some time, it was only a brief moment and then suddenly we parted.

"I know, Gacchan…" Hyde started quietly, moving up his hand to rest the back of it across his lips as he opened his eyes to look at me. "It doesn't count," He turned to work on packing his things again.

"Maybe I wanted it to, Hyde," I replied, causing him to freeze in motion.

"No, it doesn't," Hyde turned to face me. "It _can't_."

"Why not?" I leaned forward into him and Hyde stepped back.

"Because!" He replied, his voice louder than before. "Because I'm going back to Japan, just like I will when the movie filming is over. I'll be going back to my life, and…"

I knew what he was going to say; _'Back to my wife,'_ so I simply glared at him and I wondered if he could tell that I anticipated his words. I would have loved to further discuss the reasons we could make this could work but Hyde turned back to his luggage and started haphazardly tossing various items into it before slamming the lid shut.

"So when will you be back?" I asked, trying to fall back into a casual conversation.

"I'll call and let you know, but it's likely to be at least five days," Hyde replied, never once looking at me as he zipped shut the suitcase before pushing it off of the mattress and onto the floor.

_Five days. That's enough time to get over what just happened..._

"Very well. I wish you safe travels, of course. I'll alert the staff to the changes. And come see me when you return so we can discuss what you missed," I hated how professional I was sounding right now.

"Will do," Hyde responded, still not bothering to look at me.

I considered my next words carefully, but even after the contemplation taking place in my mind, I decided not to say anything and rather exited his hotel room quietly.

* * *

_____I don't really know why Hyde had to go back to Japan but according to his diaries written in the Aug 02 issue of **Le Ciel** [vol.33, Hyde left the filming of Moon Child in Taiwan from 07.31 to 08.04 to be in Japan for a few days. And in keeping with consistence of the true facts aspect of this fic, I tried to tactfully avoid the unknown reasons to write it into the story. _


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_I apologize for the long time between chapters. I hope you have not forgotten this story…Things have been very busy for me after the holidays and between my jobs and trips to Japan, I haven't had much time to sit down and write. Thankfully there have been a few recent Gakuhai sightings that built up my inspiration to come back to this story. Thanks for being patient with me and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I probably won't be writing again until I return from Japan in July, but maybe I'll write some of Chapter 10 while on the long plane rides. Again, sorry for the wait!! Please enjoy this chapter and if you do, review and let me know what you like/don't like/would like to see more of. Thanks to all the faithful readers!_

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_-

_**A**_s the plane began to descend, Taiwan in my view, my mind suddenly cluttered with many things. On the short trip over I was able to sleep, for once, and simply enjoy the quiet time alone that the flight provided me. Being back in Japan was far from relaxing and having to come back to the hectic movie set was not what I needed right now. My mind had many scattered thoughts from the events that happened there and the events about to happen here in Taiwan.

Leaving my home country left me with a headache from my wife, a busy schedule ahead (thanks to my management), and several pairs of S.O.A.P. tickets from Ken and Sakura.

And now coming back to Taiwan I was presented with a whole different set of things to face; namely my _situation_ with Gackt.

To say I forgot about what happened the night before I left would be a big fat lie. Fact of the matter is, I couldn't stop thinking about it. And worse, I couldn't keep my mind from wandering to that time and place at the most inopportune moments. Megumi, my agent, and Sakura all called me out at different points when I had gone into daydreaming. It was somewhat embarrassing and since I hadn't known what to respond with after being caught, it only left them more confused. Specifically Sakura, who claims I was '_pouting my lips as though I were kissing someone_'…

_Well. _

Kissing with Gackt had become this strange, comfortable understanding between us. It was wrong, _it was so wrong_, but it had turned into something that neither of us could really fight anymore and even I had to accept that. The whole fact that we were trying to say '_they didn't count'_ was the most ridiculous thing ever, and yet it was the one thing I chose to fall back on anytime I felt like violating the wall I had built up between us.

But when Gackt said he _wanted_ them to count… that's when it hit me that yet again I had succumbed to his powerful hold over me, whatever that really was, and that we had to stop. The perverse cycle of what we were doing had gone around once more, and once more I was faced with having to make a decision to end it.

As I departed the plane, sliding on my sunglasses and swinging my carry-on alongside of me, I tried to think of the best way to approach Gackt without giving any inclination that our last encounter was the one thing on my mind that I didn't want to let go of in all my time in Japan.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_-

_**H**_aving Hyde absent from set these past few days was torture.

Though I had expected myself to hate it, I also thought I would be so caught up with the movie that I wouldn't notice he was missing until my shoots for the day were over. But that wasn't the only time I noticed his absence. I found myself thinking about him constantly and wishing I could see him – whether he be acting with me, or sitting somewhere off set watching, or even zipping around on that noisy Taiwan small-bike we had rented…

I suppose our parting had been amicable enough, though that depends on whether or not you counted the brief, intense kiss we shared before he left as something good or bad toward our relationship. I believed that I knew Hyde well enough by now to sense that he enjoyed it. But I would have felt more at ease had the awkward conversation right afterward not happened. Instead, these past few days I was left wondering what terms Hyde and I would be on when he returned.

On the plus side, many of my scenes that didn't include interaction between Hyde and I were now completed, minus any re-shoots that would need done in the future. This meant that my next few shots would be completely Hyde-filled and that was something to look forward to. I wondered, returning solemnly to my hotel room night-after-night, how I was going to deal with my emotions of not being around Hyde _all the time_ when the filming was all over. If this was the test, I was failing miserably.

As I made my way down the hall to my hotel room after an especially long day of filming, I was greeted by an ever-pleasant surprise; Hyde was sitting on the floor, his back leaning against my door, and his lips were pursed in a pout as he played on his cellular.

"Hyde!" I exclaimed, walking speedily down the hall toward him. He noted my presence and stood up, flipping shut his phone and discarding it to his back pocket.

"Oh, Gacchan, genki?" he lazily asked as I neared him and pulled him tightly into a hug.

"Genki! Especially now that you're back," and slowly and unwillingly, I let him go. I slid my key card and walked into my hotel room, inviting him to join me.

"I can't stay long. Gotta unpack and I'm kind of tired," I heard his voice behind me as I entered the room and asked him if he'd like something to drink. As he declined, seating himself on the couch, I came out to join him.

"You took care of whatever business you had, I assume?" I cautiously questioned, sitting next to him as I took a sip from my bottle of water. Hyde was staring at a spot on the ground and nodded, but gave no vocal answer.

"So what all did I miss?" he asked, turning to face me with a false and tired-looking smile.

"Not too much, really," I responded, having to look away from his unnerving expression. "The child actor playing Hana was in this week and she was wonderful and very easy to work with. And quite adorable,"

Hyde noised a reply and stared off somewhere into the distance. I could tell something was off with him and was about to ask when Hyde suddenly stood up, stretching his arms far above his head.

"I should go, but I'll see you on set tomorrow, right?"

_Leaving already?_ Hurriedly, I stood up alongside of him. "Yes, of course, at the mural," I responded as Hyde had already begun walking toward the door. He issued a quiet goodnight and was gone.

It was one of the more uneasy moments that existed between us, as Hyde seemed nothing like himself and was nearly unresponsive to me. I was hurt by it, having looking forward to seeing him for so long only to be let down by his off-balanced actions tonight.

I reasoned with myself that he had a long, busy trip in Japan and was tired from the late flight over and decided to go about preparing things for the next day to keep my mind off of him. But I couldn't help how bothered I was feeling about our whole meeting.

I noted the time and figured rather than calling Hyde, in case he was sleeping, I would send him a text:

_Daijoubu?_

I hit send and stared at my phone for the next minute, hoping to see it flash and buzz with a responding text but I grew impatient looking at the small device and instead turned my attention to a stack of papers that needed to be signed to contractually change the movie's title into _Moon Child_. As I began placing my kanji on the corner of each page, my phone began to whirr along the desk, buzzing as it vibrated and I quickly snapped it open, blinking at the absence of the familiar text box. Instead, I heard a voice-

"Gakkun? Are you there?"

A small bit of embarrassment overcame me and I quickly put the phone to my ear. "Apologies, You-kun. I thought my phone was sending a text message,"

I allowed my conversation with You to take my mind off of Hyde for the rest of the night. Well, at least for the hour that we chatted.

In the morning as I was preparing to exercise, I lazily checked my phone and noticed that I had one new text and it was from Hyde:

_Mada desu__。_

(**AN:** _Daijoubu_? Are you OK? / _Mada desu_. Not yet.)

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_-

_**A**_s if to further taunt me, the heat was unbearable this morning, which only served to make my day even worse. Not that I didn't want to be in Taiwan or hanging out on the movie set, because I had somehow come to actually enjoy all of this madness, but combined with my thoughts being unable to leave the things that happened while I was in Japan (my fight with Megumi fresh in my mind), and what happened with Gackt before I left, (that burning kiss we shared also at the front of my mind), having to sit in this stifling heat was not helping matters any. I was quiet most of the day so thankfully my lines were limited. I spent my free-time sitting off set and fiddling with my cell phone, trying to keep up with Tetsu and Sakura's texts without mixing the messages up while attempting to erase all the crude images Ken was continuously picture-messaging to me. Somehow, heading home even for a few short days, made all my acquaintances aware that I was still alive and my cell phone was now taking the brunt end of that. I could only imagine what the bill will turn out to be.

As I sighed and put my phone back in my pocket, I looked up and out onto set where my eyes found Gackt almost instantaneously. He was in talks with one of the crew members, his hands flailing wildly with gesture. I smirked as I watched his animated movements. Having promised Gackt that I'd hang around on set until he was done, I was stuck waiting off-sides in one of the park benches until he was done taking care of business. Somehow, it wasn't until this moment that I realized just how involved Gackt really was with this movie.

It was respectable. Gackt had all these ideas and then the gall to see it all through. And the balls to even tack such a risky thing onto his career, though I suppose I could wonder the same about myself. But I admired his ambition and tried not to feel helpless about achieving my own goals although my mind had already drifted to such thoughts of where my own life had gone and was heading to next.

I lit up a cigarette and turned my focus to watching Gackt again. His hands were on his hips now as a few of the crew and staff were talking to him. I saw him turn his head and look over in my direction though I was too far away to judge the kind of look he was giving me. Still, it was enough to make my heart leap slightly as my mind immediately jumped back to the thoughts I had been pushing away since I returned.

_That kiss_…

Such a thing shouldn't have been planted so firmly in the front of my thoughts but I couldn't seem to shake it. Not only did I have the imagery continuously playing behind my eyes but I could still feel the sensation. I couldn't quite figure out why this one was sticking. It's not like Gackt's lips on mine was anything new. I was having a bit of a continuous inner-battle to determine why it was taunting me so much. But more annoying to me than the constant mental reminders, was how my mind kept reminding me of my time back in Japan and the fights I had with Megumi. No, she didn't find out about what happened with Gackt so it wasn't even related, but I couldn't help but wonder how things between Megumi and I would all turn out when I returned home after the movie shoot was over. While the S.O.A.P. concert was something I was debating attending, even so, I would make sure that trip back to Japan would not involve her in anyway possible.

Which meant for the next few weeks I would just be _here_. With Gackt.

He turned to look at me again and this time he waved so I smiled and waved back. I assumed he was just letting me know he hadn't forgotten I was sitting around waiting for him. Normally I would probably be rather aggravated having to waste time out in this torturous heat when I could be indoors with the air conditioning on full power and a glass of something strong in my hand as I flipped through Taiwan's boring channels and drifted to sleep… And while that all sounded inviting right now, I had a mission to accomplish.

Because it seems that somehow Gackt had invaded my rational thoughts and perhaps it was partly due to the arguments I had with my wife but that kiss – that burning intense kiss we shared a week ago, was prompting me further toward Gackt right now. I wasn't even sure what I planned on doing – did I want to talk about it? What would I even say? No, it was more than that… The way it had been affecting me lately needed to stop and I figured the only way to do so was to put it out there, in front of Gackt, and end the madness it was driving me to.

Though I had no idea nor plans of where such a thing would lead, I had a good feeling about it. Perhaps too good a feeling. I couldn't understand what my brain was trying to tell me but I figured that at this point my brain was no longer responsible anyway.

Gackt started to walk in my direction then so I stood up, brushing off a few stray ashes that had landed on my pants, stubbed out the remains of my cigarette and put my hands in my pockets as Gackt approached me.

"Sorry about that, Hyde. I hadn't expected that to take so long. Thank you for waiting," Gackt then said something else about whatever he had just spent the last 5 minutes talking about…

But I didn't really hear what he was apologizing for, just knew he was talking by the way his lips kept moving. Because I was yet again drawn to staring at them. _Damn, one of these times my staring is going to get me into troub--_

"Hyde?"

"Sorry, I… dazed out for a bit there," I added a phony laugh but it didn't cure the confused look on Gackt's face.

"Shall we head back?"

Gackt spoke about the issues with tomorrow's set and something else that I couldn't really follow as we rode back to the hotel. He went on and on as we walked in the building and into the elevator and I didn't even care what he was saying, just kept nodding occasionally to appear interested while I continued to stare at his lips.

His story paused briefly as he reached out tap the elevator button but I swatted his hand down and hit my floor number instead. Gackt turned to look at me.

"Uh, we always go to your room. Besides I brought back some stuff from home you might have interest in," I supplied. Gackt was silent as the cart rode to my floor and we made our way down the hall to my door.

Considering he hadn't shut up since the second he came to my side tonight, Gackt was suddenly eerily quiet. I told him to make himself comfortable and that he was getting a drink whether he wanted it or not. He didn't say anything as he sat down in the nook of my small hotel kitchen.

I poured us some brandy; it was the exact kind we had drunk at his house during the first script read. As I handed the glass to Gackt, he stared at it curiously.

"It's brandy. Since we couldn't find this brand anywhere in Taiwan, I brought back a bottle from home for us to enjoy," I said, feeling proud of myself and taking a hearty gulp as I seated myself across from him. Gackt nodded in thanks and took a sip before sitting his glass down on the table.

The silence was awkward. But I used the moment to study Gackt's face – it was almost as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to form words. I nursed the brandy as I watched him staring at the table. I thought about speaking but then decided that I wanted to see a reaction out of Gackt first; a word, a movement, _anything_.

"_Hyde_,"

"Yes?" I replied, and apparently very eagerly from the way Gackt's head jutted up to look at me. I saw him swallow and his tongue briefly appeared to moisten his lips, causing my eyes to watch and stare hungrily.

"I… have to tell you something," Gackt quietly continued.

"_Yes_…" I repeated. It was a tiny table between us, enough that those pouty, full lips would be easily reached if I just stood up and…

"I'm sorry," Gackt stated.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry," Gackt repeated, this time looking in my eyes when he did so.

"For what?" My mind raced to figure out whatever it was I missed.

"For overstepping my boundaries," Gackt said with an exasperated sigh. It was as though he felt relieved to get that out.

"Um, did I miss something here? I'm not quite sure, I…" I stumbled.

"I have to admit to you Hyde, that the entire time you were gone all I could think about was-"

"The kiss?" I blurted out. The way Gackt's eyes widened when I said so made me want to slam my head down on the table repeatedly. _What if that's not what he was going to say?_

"Well, yes," Gackt slowly confirmed and a silent relief washed over me. "And I'm sorry for_ all_ the kisses," he continued, standing up from the table.

"Wait, you're… sorry about kissing me?" I asked, trying to ignore how unwanted I thought my voice sounded right then. Gackt sighed and placed a hand on his forehead as he walked out of the small kitchen area and I stood up from the table to follow him, abandoning the brandy.

"Yes, terribly sorry, Hyde. I kept putting you into a position you didn't want to be in and it's horrible of me to make you feel that way. So I'm apologizing for it and I hope you'll accept it," Gackt hadn't been looking at me while saying this and I was secretly grateful for that because I can't imagine what he'd think of my facial expression at the moment.

In fact, I wasn't sure what I'd think of my reaction either. I wanted to talk about what happened, yes, but I think that in the deep recess of my perverted thoughts, I actually wanted the talk to lead in another direction… possibly the direction where the kisses might happen again…

Gackt spun around and I noticed the embarrassed sort of look on his face. He bit his lip as he looked at me and again I reveled in its sight, strangely wishing that my own teeth could be involved on those plump lips of his.

"I can see I've upset you and I'm sorry for bringing up our kissing but I had to get that out, you understand," Gackt continued, stepping close to me and grabbing my shoulders. I gasped as he held onto me, my mind instantly drawing to the flashback of the kiss that had haunted me the past 6 days and how badly I wanted to recreate that scene but instead of leaning forward to do so, Gackt said,

"_I promise you it won't ever happen again_."

There was a faint shattering sound in my ears.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_-

_**H**_yde's big, doe eyes were looking up at me.

"I promise you it won't ever happen again."

I had made a statement. A statement that requires no questioning, no rebuttal, no response. A statement: I will not kiss you anymore, Hyde. _Even though…_

It's what he wanted to hear, is it not? The act had unnerved him so much that night, I could only imagine how much he must have hated me for it while he was away in Japan. And then he came back and he was cold, he was quiet, disconnected… I couldn't handle the disdain between us. I didn't want to lose him so I pondered all day just how I would free us of this mess.

And now it was done. I had given Hyde my word and it was something I had to stick to. It would be difficult, but…

I couldn't decipher the look in Hyde's eyes at that moment. They were wide and they were searching mine. Curious. Confused. I wanted to hold onto him forever, pull him in closely and stroke his hair, tell him how I wished things could have worked between us and then gather the courage to be strong and leave him behind like we were disjointed lovers. But that would probably only serve to frighten him away from me even more.

No, what I was doing was right. It may not have felt that way to me in the slightest but if I wanted to keep our friendship going, I figured it was the only way. So I let go of Hyde's slim shoulders and swallowed the taste in my mouth. _Not Hyde's taste. Never again Hyde's taste…_

I felt bad leaving the glass of brandy unconsumed but I didn't feel worthy enough to sit there in a contrived amicability, sharing that special drink with Hyde. I had to go. I had no other words so I quietly brushed past him, my eyes shutting tightly as our skins touched while I did so, and made my way for the door; Opening it and stepping out and… pausing just outside the door frame as the door slowly fell shut because I thought I heard noise, I thought I heard Hyde turning around and coming toward me…

_Not tonight, Hyde. I don't want to talk about it tonight._

_**I**_n the morning I made my way downtown and met up with Taro. We talked about Toshi's death scene and Taro became wildly animated about how he wanted it to play out. It seemed as though I wasn't the only one who was going to be dramatic in this film. Taro wanted to practice so I obliged as other cast and crew slowly started appearing to the set.

"Here you sit down on the grass and I'll show you just how I plan on dying," Taro said excitedly, nearly pushing me onto my knees on the ground. Just as I was being forced down I noticed Hyde making his way on set. He was looking right at me as he walked in my direction with Taro blocking my view momentarily while he moved to position himself on my lap.

"Ah, are you sure we need to practice this now? It might be better if we wait until we have our makeup--"

"I'm going to shake violently," Taro mentioned as he splayed himself across my legs. "It'll be like your own vibrator, haha!" Taro finished, apparently cracking himself up over it. Hyde had made his way to one of the folding chairs just off set where LeeHom was settled on the ground checking out something on his computer.

As Taro tried to act dead while lying on my lap, I couldn't help but stare at Hyde, whom I noted kept looking over in my direction. I'm not sure if he caught me looking back at him but I tried to hide it by focusing my attention back on Taro.

"And you'll be shouting my name in agony of course – TOSHIIII! NOOOO TOSHIIII YOU CANT DIIIIE!" Taro obnoxiously yelled causing a few of the staff to look over at us.

"Ok that's enough," I said, quickly standing up and causing him to fall off my lap into the grass. "We'll do this later when we have our makeup on,"

Taro looked annoyed and dumbfounded when I left but he didn't say anything as I made my way toward Hyde and LeeHom, who were making very small chatter when I came over to them and sat down in the grass next to the half-American boy.

"Hey Gackt, check out this website," LeeHom said in plain English. "I was telling Hyde-san about it earlier," He turned the laptop to face me and I hunched to look at it but couldn't help my eyes from taking a peek up at Hyde, who was openly staring back at me behind his sunglasses. LeeHom noticed the furtive glances between us but didn't say anything.

"It figures it's got to be a gorgeous day the one time we need it to rain for a scene," I spoke in bland Japanese and I was sure LeeHom didn't understand what I said as he brought his computer back to a comfortable position on his lap. But I was really just trying to turn the conversation to Hyde.

"Gorgeous maybe, but it's too damn hot. And anyway isn't that what rain machines are for?" Hyde suddenly replied in just as monotone a voice. I nodded back at him. There was another stretched silence and then LeeHom started laughing.

"What?" I asked in English.

"Nothing, it's just... I can't figure you two out," LeeHom replied in English. I didn't quite catch his words but I think Hyde understood as he looked over to focus his attention on the boy. "Sometimes you seem so buddy-buddy and other times you act like strangers. Like now."

"Don't worry," Hyde spoke in his low accented English. "Gackt is my friend,"

I spurted out with laughter and so did LeeHom at Hyde's cheesy statement.

"Is that the only nice thing you have to say about me?" I questioned Hyde in Japanese.

"I… don't know more English to say…" Hyde replied in English, laughing at himself.

LeeHom glanced curiously at Hyde, continuing in English. "But isn't Gackt more than just your friend?"

I made sense of most of the words, or so I thought, and cupped my face in my hand as I rested my arm on my knee. Curiously I looked up at Hyde for his broken response. He pulled his sunglasses down and winked at me causing us all to bust out laughing again. I wasn't sure Hyde understood the sentence either.

"I'll take that as a yes," LeeHom laughed, elbowing me in the side.

"Yes," Hyde said in English. "Yes Gackt is more friend to me,"

LeeHom was red with laughter and I was feeling almost embarrassed in their presence as Hyde continued to eyeball me from above his lowered sunglasses. As LeeHom's laughter faded and he turned his attention back to his laptop, I noticed that while Hyde looked at me, his eyes softened a bit before shading them once more.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_-

_**I**_ let out a grunt as I sat on the side of the set while the crew members checked the shots before dismissing us. Wires and fake rain and fake blood… it was quite an interesting day of shooting. Zeny started to feel sick being under the rain machine for too long and while most of the rest of the crew left for supper I decided to hang around. I wondered if that was stupid of me, seeing as though I had been feeling somewhat woozy all day – today having been even hotter than the previous, if that was at all possible. And god how I hated this heat…

But before I could really start lamenting it, Taro made his way to my side.

"So Hyde, how was Japan?" Taro asked, wiping his hands along the sides of his cargo pants before settling next to me. I blinked and turned to look at him, wondering why he bothered to make lame conversation with me all the time.

"Same as always," I replied, chiding at the stupid response, and yet hoping that it was the perfect answer to prevent further discussion between us.

"So then why do you look like someone just shot your dog?" Taro questioned and then mock-gasped. "Oh no, Hyde, did someone shoot your dog?"

"I don't have a dog."

"Because he was shot!" Taro produced a very loud, very annoying, wail, causing some of the crew members to look over at us. Then Taro hit me on the arm before busting into laughter. "Seriously though, why the long face? I can see something's bugging you,"

There were several things bugging me. One of those was about 5'5" with shiny long hair and big brown eyes and I was all too grateful to have to leave her back in Japan. But there's no way I was going to discuss my perpetual issues with Megumi to someone like Taro.

"Ohh I see," he interrupted my thoughts suddenly. I turned to look at him and he was nodding at me. "It _is_ your dog; the tall, pretty, female model you married, ne?"

_How did he figure it out_? Moreso, where did he get off calling _my wife_ a _dog_? My brow furrowed and I blinked at him as he continued to nod at me.

"So, what's wrong with you and the bitch?" Taro bluntly asked with a cheap laugh, producing a stick of gum from his pocket and popping it into his mouth. I spent a few seconds morbidly watching him chew on it before trying to end our conversation.

"I'd rather not discuss, thanks," I kindly replied, turning away from Taro's disgusting, open-mouthed gum-chewing.

Taro laughed aloud, smacking his leg as he did so. "Another one of the millions of reasons that marriage is horrible…" He continued to laugh as I sulked next to him and pulled out a cigarette. "You know what you do in situations like this where the wife is pissing you off?" _Yes, well let me just wait to hear the answer from the bachelor of the year here…_ "Revenge sex," Taro loudly stated, as though it were a golden rule. "You fuck the very next person you see. Works like a charm,"

I blinked at his bluntness and looked back out to the emptying set. I was half-tempted to pull my sunglasses down from my head, fearful that the next person in my vision would be one of the more unsightly crew members and I'd be stuck with unpleasant mental images for the rest of the night.

But my subconscious decided to play with me I suppose, as the next person to walk across the set was none other than _Gackt_.

Taro let out a strange noise. "You know, I'd pity the woman, or let's not count out _man_, who'd ever end up with Gackt,"

I was offended. For Gackt's sake, of course. "What the hell do you mean by that?" I asked, lighting the suddenly much-needed cigarette. But damn it was so hot out here I was surprised the stick didn't light on its own.

"Could you imagine having to put up with that his _holier-than-thou_ attitude all the time?" Taro huffed loudly. "Though I suppose there is _some_ saving grace, since the only thing bigger than his ego is his cock," he stated with a chuckle. I swiveled my head quickly to face him.

"What?" I spat. "Gackt doesn't have a-"

"Oh _come on,_ Hyde. If those leather pants he's wearing are any indication, the rumors must be true," Taro interrupted, pointing and pursing his lips.

"Wait, wait," I said, shaking a hand. "I was going to say that he doesn't have an inflated _ego_,"

Taro stood up, hands on his hips as he made a humming noise. "How can you not notice it? He's the head honcho of this organization and he knows it because he flaunts it," He turned to look down at me. "You're smart for sucking up to him the way you do."

I stood up alongside of him. "I do not suck up to Gackt!"

"Well then you must be sucking_ down _on him," Taro bitterly replied with an eyebrow wiggle. I gawked but he continued talking before I could think of anything in retort. "Whatever the case, you two are going to take all the glory from this film anyway…"

I didn't know what to say in response so I merely watched him quietly before he huffed in disgust and walked across the set. I tossed my cigarette to the ground and forcefully stomped my boot on it.

Gackt was making his way to my side, a smile on his face as he approached. I didn't have the heart to replay my conversation with Taro to him but my eyes couldn't help but be drawn to his leather pants. I might not have believed what Taro said about his ego being big but the other part… well…

"Hyde," Gackt spoke, interrupting my staring and causing my face to feel heated as I looked up to his eyes. "Are you feeling okay?"

"What? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine, why?" I leaned on one side, shoving a hand into my pocket in an attempt to look casual and comfortable. Truth is, I was feeling quite the opposite right now.

"Your face is all flushed," Gackt responded, reaching a hand out to place the back of it on my forehead. I anchored my neck back a bit as he did so, shying away from him touching me. "And you look a little weary,"

"I'm okay," I lied, pulling his hand down away from my head. (And I admit I held onto Gackt's hand a little longer than was necessary before letting go.) "I'm just a little heated…" _about the conversation I just had, _although, truth be told, my body was suddenly very warm…

Gackt extended an arm out to the nearby bench so we walked over to it and sat down. I exhaled a heavy breath I didn't know I was holding in.

"You can head out to dinner if you want. Zeze-san says he got the shot he needed," Gackt responded with a smile.

"Well I figured I'd wait and see if you wanted to go somewhere together," I tried to casually converse, leaning back into the bench and noting that the large mural in front of me seemed to be getting blurry. _I must be tired_.

"Truly? Well sure, Hyde, that would be grea--Hyde? Hyde!"

Everything went black.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_-

_**A**_t once I called the set paramedics over when it was clear to me that Hyde wasn't awaking easily from his sudden heavy dozing. They revived him in no time with the simplicity of some cool water, but Hyde was in such a daze and his body was burning up so they suggested he get indoors to some air conditioning as soon as possible.

I immediately offered to take him safely inside and with some help and the use of one of our set vans, I brought Hyde back to our hotel and took him into my room.

I called back to the set to see if the medics had any further info or something I could administer and if anyone knew the last thing Hyde had been doing, when someone explained that they last saw him chatting with Taro. So I requested Taro on the phone:

"Jesus, I dunno Gackt-san. He needed someone to talk to so I was there. You know, he was complaining about his wife and what a bitch she is so I suggested a revenge fuck and… well we talked about usual guy things; you know sex and stuff. I laughed, he sulked and smoked. What the hell do you expect me to say?"

Taro wasn't any help and rather only served to anger me more. So after speaking with someone sensible on set, they explained that Hyde was merely suffering from heat exhaustion – though I'm sure he had a bit of regular exhaustion too, which was probably only further aggravated from having to make nice with Taro's witty banter.

I rested Hyde's limp body on my bed and felt his forehead. It was still warm but not as hot as it was earlier. Cranking up the air conditioning, I shut the door of the room and went to some business, checking up on him every once in a while for my own mental well-being.

I tried to work on some of the movie promotional material ideas but I couldn't stop thinking about what Taro said over the phone. If Hyde really needed someone to talk to about his marital problems, why on earth would he choose Taro? The more I pondered it, the clearer it became why he wouldn't ever come to _me_ with such a topic. Though I'd prefer Hyde to come to me with all of his problems as a trusted friend, I couldn't deny that such a conversation involving his marriage would have made me, and likely him, very uneasy.

It was difficult to concentrate when the main thought in my mind was what caused the argument between Hyde and his wife in the first place. I looked up from the marketing one-sheets and glanced out my opened balcony – could it be possible that_ I_ was the cause? No, of course not, Hyde would never tell his wife what was going on between us. The sick set of emotions coursing through me – from a morbid, mild elation of being the cause of their marital tryst, to the sad truth of Hyde never being able to tell anyone what we've shared – was making me very uneasy.

I turned my attention back to the movie materials, reading over the list of goods suggested up for promotion, but my mind played back my brief conversation with Taro and the fact that he mentioned _sex_ as revenge. I couldn't help but wonder if Hyde would ever consider such a thing. And as you may have guessed, my chain of thoughts led me to wonder just whom he would choose to take it out on.

Then I felt horrible that my mind even led me there and worse that I was imagining myself as a possible candidate. _How low will you stoop, Camui_, I berated myself. And then I got up to check in on Hyde.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_-

_**I **_sat up and rubbed my eyes, taking a moment to glance around until I realized I was in Gackt's hotel room and once again in his bed.

Gackt suddenly appeared in the doorway, a small smile on his face as he made his way toward the bed. "Heat stroke, according to the paramedics," he worded, touching a cupped hand to the side of my face before sitting on the edge of the bed. "I offered to take you back to the hotel and take care of you."

"Jesus, I'm sorry," I started, not recalling the instant I passed out and immediately feeling guilty for putting my caretaking into Gackt's responsibility. "Couple weeks we've been in Taiwan and already I've taken up your bed twice," I added a phony laugh at the end.

Gackt's smile grew larger. "You know I don't mind, Hyde. You apparently needed to get some rest. And it's not as though I was using the bed anyway. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, no, I'm fine," I started, swinging my legs off the end with all intentions of getting up. But I was still sort of woozy and stared at a spot on the ground as I willed the dizzy motions away.

"Why don't you lie back down; I'll get you some water," Gackt replied, standing up from the bed.

I extended a hand out to stop him from leaving. "No, really I'm ok!" Gackt stopped in mid-motion and sat back down, reaching out a hand and placing it on my forehead. When he removed it, he let out an annoyed sounding sigh.

"Hyde, I'd feel better if you'd stay a bit longer and just relax. You scared me out there," Gackt stared at me with a serious look in his eyes.

"I just don't deal well with the heat. I … have trouble gauging when my body has had enough," I admitted. Gackt tilted his head at me, his eyebrows furrowed. I sighed and brought my legs back onto the bed, lying down just so he'd stop looking at me like that. "Fine. I'll chill here for a bit, happy?"

Gackt smiled and twisted his body to face me, bringing a leg up as he sat contentedly on the end of the bed. I glanced up at the ceiling, only barely making out the intricate designs from the dim light in the far corner of the room and thought how nice it was to enjoy a comfortable silence between Gackt and I for once when suddenly my conversation with Taro replayed in my head. Somewhat paralleling that, the thought came into my mind that while I'd been in this room twice in the last few weeks, I had never actually seen Gackt's bedroom at his house. Not that it really bothered me, but for the sake of conversation, I decided to ask.

"Gacchan," I started, still watching the ceiling as Gackt made a noise awaiting me to continue. "Why didn't you ever show me your bedroom? You know, when you gave me the tour of your house…" I didn't look at him although I was curious what kind of face he was making right now.

"Well… it is my favorite room…"

"So all the more to show it off then, right?" I tilted my head to look at him. "Are you avoiding the question?" I said, a playful lilt in my voice.

"Not at all," Gackt replied, leaning back on one of his arms. "But, Hyde my bedroom is for…"

"Sleeping?" I supplied as Gackt raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh but wait, you don't do that," I teased.

"Not usually, no," The ends of his lips turned up slightly in the start of a sort of devilish little grin.

"So then… _ohhh_," It clicked in my head; If one doesn't sleep in the bedroom then the only other thing worth doing in there is… _sex_.

"That was only the second time we had met, Hyde. Don't you think that taking you there would have been moving things a little too fast, _even for us_?" And then he smirked; Gackt_ smirked_ at me. I was lying in his bed in his dark hotel room and he was eyeing me and smirking. I couldn't think of anything clever to retort with and almost longed for the comfortable silence from a few minutes ago. _Damn, I always seem to willingly put myself into these situations…_

He laughed then, helping to break the tension somewhat and I considered asking for that glass of water now because my throat had gone incredibly dry. I looked back up to the ceiling and heard a rustle of movements but before I could make out what they were, there was a moving shadow and Gackt was suddenly hovering over me.

"Doesn't mean I won't show it to you sometime, if you really want to see it…" he whispered.

"…show me _what_?" I quietly squeaked. Gackt's eyes were studying the features of my face now and I felt my cheeks grow warm under his close scrutiny.

"My bedroom, Hyde," he chuckled. "Let me get you that glass of water; you're clearly not revived yet,"

And with that he disappeared from my view, leaving me feeling warm and confused and once again pondering what Taro had mentioned earlier about revenge sex and big… _egos_.

Glancing up to the ceiling again, I breathed heavily and was immediately made aware of the familiar, wonderful scent of _Egoiste_ present within Gackt's bedsheets. I inhaled more deeply, tilting my body in toward the pillow my head was resting on to better smell it and as I did, I was alerted to a new mix of faint aromas – and it was then I noticed that what I was breathing in was actually the _scent of Gackt_ himself.

It was somewhat erotic, the shudder that went through my body as the realization hit me and I inhaled again. Absently my hand drew to my lower stomach, rubbing along there and slowly moving further down as I continued to breathe in, trying to place the various fragrances; overall it was a distinctly masculine scent but I could pick out what must be his deodorant, and something akin to lavender, then another sharp, pleasing smell and even a hint of vanilla.

It was as if I was indirectly smelling Gackt himself. And if this is what Gackt smells like, then he smells damn good. Hell, he smells _amazing_. I was aware that my hand was now comfortably rubbing over the strained part of my pants but I was too caught up in the pleasure of sniffing the pillows and bed sheets and _Gackt_ to even care.

But I was also too far into the sick act to notice that Gackt had stepped back into room until I heard a low noise…

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_-

_**I**_ wasn't expecting to walk in on Hyde _like that_.

It appeared that he was shamelessly stroking himself; slowly rubbing his hand over his pants with his head turned away from me and buried into my pillow.

I half-believed I should have turned right back around and left the room, leaving Hyde to his-- _peace_. I half-wanted to speak; saying something just to alert him to the fact I had returned and then pretend I didn't notice what he was doing…

But that would have been impossible, especially with the way he was boldly rubbing himself while lying in _my_ bed. I couldn't help the sound that escaped from the deep recess of my throat.

I nearly dropped the glass of water I brought for him when his head jutted toward me, his eyes opening wide and his face quickly reddening as he recognized my presence a few feet away from him.

"Hyde, you… have…" _a visible erection_…

"A headache," Hyde quickly replied, propping himself up on his elbows and bending his legs up at the knee to conceal himself. "I… feel warm again, maybe the heat stroke is coming back…" Hyde's voice was quiet, _breathy_…

_I think I may be suffering from heat stroke myself right now…_Then I recalled I was holding a glass of water which I had retrieved just for him.

"I brought you…some… here," _Words usually don't fail me like this..._

Hyde's body tensed as I stepped a bit closer to him, his knees moving in together until they touched. It was already too late though, I saw what he had been doing. And I think he knew it, too.

"Is everything okay?" My voice was much quieter than I expected it to come out, although the noise from my heart pounding was beating loudly in my ears and might have been partially responsible.

Hyde's eyes were locked on me, so I extended my hand holding the glass of water. His eyes darted to it quickly but landed back on my face. The moment was increasingly uncomfortable for me and I imagine even moreso for Hyde, _considering_.

"I will leave you alone to… rest," I nearly whispered it to him. I was staring at his face, only barely illuminated by the light in the far corner, and the room around me seemed to whirl when I noted the tiniest hint of his pink tongue jutting out from his lips. His mouth parted open a bit then as though he might have wanted to say something.

"No…" Hyde whispered back, and it was so barely audible that I had to lean down and ask him to repeat it. "I said _no_, you don't have to go. This is _your _room, and _your_ bed…" His voice trailed off but he continued to stare into my eyes as he spoke. I heard the sound of movement and noticed he was slowly sliding his legs down so they were flat against the bed again and as I glanced in that direction, I let my eyes glide down his body to where his clothed erection was once again made known.

I looked back to his face in time to catch Hyde biting his lip gently and then I noticed he was sliding his hand slowly down his body. He impishly rubbed his hand along his thigh, still staring at me as he did so.

"You don't want me to leave?" I asked, my curious eyes unable to stay focused on his face.

"I said you don't _have_ to… but that's up to you, _Gacchan_…" His voice was low when he uttered my nickname and he quietly hissed in a breath of air as he moved his hand again, still not touching where he probably wanted to. It was as though he were teasing himself. _Or was he teasing me_…

"Why is it you're not chasing me out?" It was cruel, both to Hyde and ultimately myself, to play at this game and ask mindless questions when I was pretty damn sure I knew the answer he wanted. I noted an impatient gleam in his eyes. In the space near Hyde's body I found just enough room to seat myself, my hip brushing his when I sat. "Do you… need something?"

"Your bed smells good, Gacchan," Hyde suddenly uttered, throwing me off course for a moment.

"It does?" I questioned, using it as an excuse to practically lay down my body alongside of Hyde, my head nearly buried into my pillow as I breathed in slightly. Hyde had rolled his head to the side, watching me with hooded eyes. I was glad I had left the small lamp on, for the ambience it was creating along Hyde's face gave his features a faint glow in the otherwise dull room. "I don't notice anything," I admitted.

Hyde moved slightly to prop his torso upward and he started to lean into me, just enough that I could feel his hardness rubbing against the side of my leg. "_Gacchan, you_-"

I bolted upright. "You suffered heat stroke today Hyde," I started. Hyde blinked at me for changing the topic. "The paramedics told me you're supposed to be relaxing. But you feel _stiff_,"

The phrase was utterly corny and sounded like it could have come right from one of Zeze-san's _other_ films, but the pun didn't go unnoticed; Hyde's eyes darkened and I leaned in toward him as he once again lay flat on the bed. I placed an arm on either side of his petite waist and stared him in the eye. Then Hyde looked up to me, cautiously.

"I told them I would take care of you," I said in truth, letting my body descend slightly, hovering over Hyde. It almost looked as though he had arched upward a little toward me. "Let me help you relax, Hyde…"

A low, airy sound came from Hyde's slightly parted mouth so I brought my face down to his, close enough to feel his warm breath on my face…

"I thought you said you were never going to kiss me again," Hyde whispered as he stared at my lips. I paused, suddenly realizing what we were about to get ourselves into.

"Oh… Hyde… I'm sorry. I didn't even-"

But before I could finish, Hyde's face moved up swiftly, bringing our lips together quickly. Our lips pushed against each others needily as my left hand took on a mind of its own and started to feel its way down Hyde's body.

My hand cupped around his clothed erection and I caressed him through his pants, gently at first. He moaned within my mouth as I began to rub him over the strained area of his pants. Hyde broke our kiss then, inwardly hissing as I continued to administer him with a pressured palm. I looked down at Hyde; his eyes tightly shut and tongue occasionally popping out or running along his teeth, which was only increasing my own desire and hastening the speed of the one-handed massage I was giving him.

"I_ need_--" Hyde breathed and I suddenly felt his hand near mine. I looked down between us as he undid the button on his pants and then his hand was on my wrist, guiding it toward his waistband. Hyde steered my hand inside his pants and soon my fingers felt his warmed flesh. Looking back to his face I saw that Hyde's eyes were shut again but he was nodding at me to continue.

He kissed me roughly while I freed his member from the binds of his pants and wrapped my hand around the growing length. Hyde groaned loudly from the back of his throat and I began to pump him intensely. My own pants were now very tight and with each sound effect Hyde emitted, I could feel my own erection increasing.

Hyde started to buck his hips upward into me so I stroked him as hard and fast as my hand would comfortably allow. Our faces came together again for a deep kiss as Hyde's body spasmed beneath me. He growled into my mouth and pulled on my lip as my hand continued to work, then Hyde let out a strangled yell. My left hand warmed with the thick, sticky liquid as Hyde came off of his climax; his breathing fast and loud and his chest heaving after the seed had emptied.

I moved to lie down aside of Hyde, looking at the small sweat beads lined up around his lightened hair line; the dim light in the far corner was illuminating them and continuing to cause the glow around his face. As I openly stared, Hyde's breaths started to slow into a steady, normal pace.

I wanted to say something but my mouth was completely dry. I tried to ignore my own erection screaming at me, but it was useless when I saw Hyde open his eyes and the sated expression he wore as he turned to face me. There was a hidden grin barely tugging up the ends of his lips but there was something else hiding behind his eyes as well. Then I noticed something change in Hyde's face, at which point I willed myself out of the bed to go wash my hands and spent the brief time pondering how it all led to_ that_ so quickly.

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_-

_**O**h damn_.

If I try to think back how this whole thing started, I can't come up with a simple answer; my mind was making things far too complex. But apparently movie shooting in Taiwan, which is too damn hot for its own good, leads to heat stroke, which leads to other people on the movie shoot – _namely Gackt_ – having to take care of my heat stroke by, well, _stroking my heat_ (_Ah, God, was _that_ a bad play on words)_... I should care about many things right now; I should give a damn that I passed out on set and that Gackt was once again stuck with my burden.

And I should probably give a big damn that Gackt just whacked me off and our friendly platonic relationship had once again crossed that bridge into something_ very_ friendly and very _not_ platonic.

But I really didn't care at the moment, because my whole body was just coming down from euphoria and I could still smell Gackt and his _Egoiste_ and now the faint and familiar scent of **sex** all over me.

_Oh damn._ Oh damn, oh damn, oh _damn_.

Well it felt damn _good_; I can't deny that release was much needed. And the overall sensation was different because of _how_ it happened; a large hand, lengthy trained fingers, calloused fingertips, and a skill behind it all that my own hand never could provide me.

Of course it was also damn strange, and all for the same reasons; it wasn't _my_ hand, it wasn't my wife's hand…

Oh god. Megumi.

Damn it, I had to get out of here. I quickly sat up in the bed, willing her voice out of my head as I tugged up the edge of the blanket to wipe off and stuff myself into my pants. I was about to jump out of the bed but Gackt showed up in the doorway and he had the one thing I wanted so badly right now; _a_ _cigarette_.

As if he could read my mind (_and I wasn't quite sure that he couldn't),_ Gackt made his way to the bed, sitting next to me and boldly placing his cigarette between my lips. The nicotine filled my lungs and added to the meld of already-existent aromas in the room. When he pulled the cigarette away from my mouth, Gackt replaced its place with his lips, kissing me deeply and tugging on my lower lip with his teeth as we pulled apart.

I shouldn't have let him do that. But then things had already gone much further than I should have let them.

The kisses, that was bad enough but this… _this_…

"Gackt, I--"

"You can use the shower if you'd like," Gackt interrupted with a tender smile.

"The shower?" I asked, feeling somewhat disgusted all of a sudden. Whatever happened to saying he was never even going to touch my lips again? _My god,_ w_here was Gackt trying to lead us now_?

"Oh and don't worry about the blanket," Gackt said with a small chuckle at my discomfort.

"Take my bed," I stupidly blurted. "I'll stay here and you can use my clean bed to sleep in,"

"Hyde, you know I don't really sleep…" Gackt touched my chin with a finger before looking in my eyes so intently it made me feel uncomfortable, then he got up and left the room. I looked down at the sullied sheet and hopped off the bed, pulling the blanket from its spot and tossing it into a ball in the corner of the room.

A few seconds later I realized that the clothes I was wearing were straight off set and that I'd need these pants again for the shoot tomorrow. _Perfect._ How the hell do I explain this to the crew that I need dry cleaning for the.. _mess_ I made? It was embarrassing just thinking about it. My brain started to race. _Maybe I should just run outta here_, I thought. And so I did.

As I got to my own room, I filled up the sink and tossed my soiled pants into them, hoping to alleviate the mess on my own. Then I hopped into a hot shower until I felt totally cleaned of my_ other_ messes; the physical mess, the emotional mess, the mental mess…

_It was a very long shower._

Two cups of coffee and a half pack of cigarettes later, I still couldn't make heads nor tails of the situation and relationship between Gackt and I. Granted that kiss had been the one thing on my mind I almost wanted to come back to but just last night Gackt was telling me that all our physical ties were officially severed. So how the _hell _did I just manage to get a hand job out of him?

Despite the overload of caffeine and nicotine in the past hour, I was incredulously tired and after a couple minutes of Taiwan channel surfing, I fell asleep.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV_-

_**I**_ hadn't expected Hyde to have disappeared so quickly. When I went back into my bedroom, all I saw was my blanket balled into the corner.

I left a message with the concierge to have my sheets changed and they were about to send someone up immediately but I told them it could wait until they came to tidy up in the morning.

I worked on some call sheets for the following day, excited that tomorrow would involve some gun play. And when I finished, I had a cup of tea and sat out on my balcony. But I couldn't get my mind off of what had just happened and yet another speedy disappearance from Hyde.

I wondered why he would always rush off so quickly. Was he having trouble confronting some fear or was the real problem in facing what was happening between us? I was perfectly aware of where I stood as far as the two of us were concerned but I hated getting such mixed signals from Hyde. His moods could change the way a chameleon would change colors in front of a rainbow; one moment he's fun and friendly, then nervous and shy. And in an instant he could turn bold and enticing, persuading me to do just about anything. But it always seemed to end with him being cautious about himself, questioning everything we had experienced and running away from the matter at hand.

I looked down at my hand then and recalled what Hyde had said about taking his bed. The Taiwan night sky was black now and the city was quieting down for the evening so as I went back indoors I decided that I would take him up on his offer, whether he was expecting me to or not.

As I descended a floor and walked to Hyde's door, knocking once, then twice, I soon heard the padding of feet and the clicking of a lock before Hyde was pulling open the door and looking up at me groggily.

"Gacchan?" he lazily asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, Hyde," I apologized, about to bow but he started to waving his hand to disregard it.

"What are you doing here so late?" he questioned, letting out a small yawn.

"Well, earlier you told me I could take your bed…"

Hyde stood up straight and I could see in his eyes that the sentence woke him up a bit. "But… I thought you said you weren't going to sleep?" he tried to reason. I wasn't sure how to respond, thinking to myself how it was true that I had no intentions of sleeping… Hyde let out a sigh then and opened the door fully. "Alright, you're right, I did tell you that. Ok well I'll go use your room then. Should we swap key cards for the night?"

"Hyde, don't be naïve," I said, moving closer to him as I shut the hotel door behind me. "We can both share yours."

Hyde blinked lazily at me. "I don't think that's--"

I leaned forward, kissing him full on the lips, my arms wrapping around his small body and pulling him close to me. Hyde mildly protested at first, but then his tired body weakly melted within my embrace and I pushed my tongue through his soft lips, rubbing it around his mouth until I was able to produce my newest favorite sound; Hyde's moan. After a bit of enjoyment I pulled back slowly, enough that Hyde was nearly leaning forward after me.

"You were saying?" I quietly asked as Hyde's eyes fluttered open.

"I… I was saying…" Hyde blinked again, still clearly not awake and staring at me with a slight confusion in his eyes. I grinned and walked past him toward where his dark bedroom was waiting with light from the TV creating an eerie aura against the back wall. The blankets were pulled down and lie disheveled on top of the bed so I took off my rings and sat them on the nightstand as Hyde entered the room behind me.

"I don't think this-" Hyde cut his words off just as I slipped off my shirt and sat on the bed. I looked up at him to continue but he appeared to be staring at my chest.

"You don't what?" I asked, egging him to continue.

"I'm just really tired and I don't know if I'll be able to sleep with you… lying next to me, I mean." He ruffled the back of his hair as he stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Have you forgotten that we've done this before?" I added with a grin, swinging my legs up onto the bed and lying down with a contented sigh. "Come to bed, Hyde." _I smiled to myself at how wonderful that simple sentence sounded_.

He let out a quiet, defeated sigh and I saw him shuffle to the other side of the bed and crawl in next to me. When I turned my head to look over at him, I only saw Hyde's back and one of his twin wing tips poking out from his tank top sleeve. Cautiously I shifted my body closer toward him and rolled onto my side, sliding forward to spoon right behind him.

"Gacchan…" Hyde groggily reprimanded, twisting his head to look back at me.

"Relax, Hyde," I whispered, resting my hand on his hip. "I don't normally sleep, remember? So I need some help getting there." The truth is, I wanted to get _somewhere_ but the destination _wasn't _sleep…

Hyde was slightly tensed lying next to me and he shifted a little in an attempt to get comfortable. I moved my head forward, pushing my chin toward the crook of his neck between his head and shoulder, unable to prevent leaving a few kisses along his warm skin.

"Gackt..." Hyde scolded, turning to face me again.

My eyes had adjusted quickly to the dark light and I lie there looking at his face, finding it difficult to keep from reaching forward to kiss him. He looked at me sternly for a moment and then averted his eyes before turning back around. I waited a bit as his breathing slowed to a steadier pace and then I slid my hand down his hip and around his backside. I felt Hyde's small bottom beneath my palm and then I heard Hyde breath out loudly.

"It's enough I have to share my bed with you and sleep with you right up against me. I _don't_ need your hands on my ass as well, Gacchan," Hyde mumbled, his sleepy state noticeable in his raspy voice.

"Well that's not fair, Hyde. You touched mine the second time we met, remember?" I cooed into his ear. He turned his head around to look at me.

"You know I didn't mean to do that! Why are you bringing this up now? Can't we jus--"

It was impossible to keep from kissing him this time. Hyde seemed to struggle away from my lips at first but then he fell into the casual comfortableness that our mouths meeting had become. As we kissed I moved my hand beneath the waist of his pants, my finger tips gliding along the smooth skin of Hyde's ass, when he suddenly pulled his mouth away from mine and looked at me with large eyes.

"What are you doing?"

I chuckled at his innocence; "You know very well what I'm doing," I said, leering at him and leaning in for another kiss but Hyde abruptly pulled his head away from mine.

"Gackt, _what_ are you doing?"

I simply looked at him. "You want me to describe it? That's kind of kinky, Hyde."

With only the pale light of the television, I couldn't quite make out Hyde's face, but I'm pretty certain there was a blush upon his cheeks. However, I could see his stern expression, denoted by his sharply beautiful eyebrows. He started to turn to face me full on so I had to reluctantly remove my hand from beneath his pants while he moved.

"I have the power to kick you out of here Gackt so don't think I won't do it…" Hyde threatened, but his weary voice and the fact he was simply lying there staring at me while he said so completely betrayed his words. "I'm tired and I want to go to sleep now so cut it out," He lazily batted an arm in my direction but it didn't do more than serve to make me flinch.

Hyde rolled over, facing away from me, and I was stuck staring at the short hairs on the back of his head. My hand still wanted some sort of contact so I waited until Hyde was completely quiet for a while and then contented myself by sliding it around his lithe waist instead.

Really, I wanted to touch him all I could and as tempting as it was to slide forward and spoon behind him again, my anxious and anticipating need below would have been made very aware to Hyde in such a position and likely cause him to yell at me again. I wanted so much more from this night but figured that already things had gone further than Hyde was prepared for.

_It will be for another time, then_, I thought in an attempt to reassure myself that things hadn't reached a breaking point between us, but hopefully rather a starting one.

* * *

_Ah! Most of this chapter has been written from several months ago. I just read over it and made a few changes so I hope it's ok… I have a small start on Chapter 10 but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get it out. Hopefully this long Chapter 9 makes up for the lack of ANA lately. Please review and let me know what you thought! Thanks. _


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_It has been a year since I first posted the beginning of **Anata Nara Anshin **and now we are on chapter 10. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, follows, and sends emails about this story. _**You **_are the inspiration to keep it going!_

_Finally, I have another chapter of ANA out. Yet again I thank everyone for continued support for this story. I seem to have reached a bridge but I'm running out of bricks to keep building it. It doesn't mean I want to stop writing the story because I will see it through to its end. But I'm pretty busy at the moment and while I do think about writing this story a lot, I don't always have time to carefully piece it together. Thankfully there is always recent tidbits about Gackt and Hyde meeting up at concerts that help me keep the faith to keep writing, but it can be difficult to reach back to that magical time of Moon Child and feel what was happening in their lives to make it into this story. I am trying so I hope you still have interest and like where it is going. _

_Thank you again for still reading along! Please always let me know what you like, don't like, want to see more of, your thoughts of how things might have happened, etc. I really appreciate any and all feedback and do take things into consideration. Enjoy-  
_

* * *

_-Hyde's POV-_

_**I**_ don't remember ever feeling so tired before. Not even after long nights of drunken stupor with band mates, or that one time Ken and I tried to stay awake for 3 days straight…

The fact is, I don't think I slept the entire night. I'm sure it was because I had a short rest earlier in the day when I was dealing with my heat exhaustion, and also because I couldn't stop thinking about the way Gackt got me off in his bed, and then even later as I spent my entire night wide-eyed and terrified that Gackt was going to try _something_ to my ass as he lay closely behind me until my alarm sounded and he quietly disappeared. As much as I wanted to remain there and try to get some sleep, I suddenly recalled my pants which I had absently left sitting in the sink all night. I slowly sat up from the bed, eying the disheveled sheets of the empty space on the mattress beside me, and prodding toward the bathroom. My pants looked clean, for the most part, but they were completely soaked and there was no way I could wear them today. Embarrassingly, I called into set and requested the costume designer get me a new pair right away because the ones I wore yesterday 'got a tear in them'… _Hmm, valid enough excuse?_ Instead, I went to the shoot in a pair of my leathers and changed into the new pair of costume pants while on set.

Now I was letting the steam from my coffee mug cleanse the pores in my face as I sat scrunched in the collapsible chair just off-set, awaiting my make-up artist to finish mixing the fake blood for our next scene. Too bad she couldn't just take the real thing from my blood-shot eyes.

In my state of non-sleep, my mind was racing a mile a minute. The course of the whole previous day was like one strange existence almost not mine. First the filming, which can be an outer-world experience of itself, then trying not to share too much information about all my personal issues from home when Taro got in my business, of course the heat stroke and waking up in Gackt's bed, only to later have Gackt touch me somewhere I'd have never imagined—_well, ok maybe I did imagine it a few times_—and even later, having him attempt to violate yet another part of my body.

Of course I had willingly _let_ him touch - _and feel, and rub, and stroke_ - and it was all of my own selfish doing but it felt _so damn good_ having his hands on me like _that_ and _there_. And had I not felt so strangely exposed in the moments after leaving his room, I probably would have also felt quite guilty. All this time – from the first moments I met Gackt, in fact – it had been Gackt taking care of me; offering up his home, his bed; taking responsibility for things that had happened to me, and relieving myevery need, now quite literally. There was something wrong about all the taking and lack of giving from my end.

I sort of thought to myself that all of the 'services' I was getting from Gackt was my payback for having to act in this movie of his. None of us knew where it was really going to go, though I somewhat believed that our star power alone would rocket it to popularity. And it wasn't as though I had anything else big planned for the late summer months that this time was keeping me from accomplishing. Besides, Taiwan was beautiful and proving to be damn amazing as well.

It was also enjoyable to have a valid excuse for being away from Megumi for so long. I sat in my chair, my mind drifting to her and the fight we had just a few days back. She could threaten to leave me all she wanted but I knew she was never serious – my heightened celebrity status continued to bring her good fortune. But this time she had some new vocabulary to throw at me, and I don't mean in terms of expletives. Apparently Megumi hired a new agent in the short time I've been gone and this new guy thinks she could do just fine without me by now.

I'm not sure why I let that bother me so much, but for all the bitching I've done about this somewhat arranged relationship, the thought of having Megumi_ out_ of my life was quite depressing. Having her around had become a comfortable normalcy, despite all the times we fought and the many, many things we disagreed on. Marriage contract or not, there was an initial attraction and though it was years ago (_and partially spawned by the all-too-recent bad band shake-up due to Sakura's drug problems_), now more than ever I was aware that it still existed, just hiding deep within me.

I was lost in my thoughts when I noticed there was a camera filming me and slowly turned to it to see Miya waving from behind the lens and giving me a thumbs up. I was not in the mood for this. My call sheet also had something written on it about today's scenes that Zeze-san was going to talk to Gackt and I about later. God only knew what that was about. Thankfully my make-up artist was calling me over.

I stood drearily in front of her, standing as still as I could and looking around the set until I noticed she was staring strangely at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You don't look too good this morning, Hyde-san. I heard you suffered heat exhaustion last night, are you ok?" Araki asked, dabbing her wand into a creamy peach mixture for my face.

"I'm sorry, Araki-san. It's not that, I… just didn't really sleep last night," I tilted my head up as she started to apply the makeup along my chin.

"That's ok, Hyde-san. After all, it's my job to make you look good and your already-good looks don't usually give me much to work with as far as that goes," She finished, grabbing a brush from her little kit. I leered playfully at her for the compliment and she giggled a little before dabbing my jaw line. Then she picked up the blood-mixture.

"Well I'm confident putting my face into your hands then. _Only you_…" I started, singing out the last few words. Araki giggled again. "_On-n-ly you-u-u_…" I continued to croon and then she laughed again, telling me to stay still so she didn't get the blood everywhere.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gackt approaching me. He stood for a moment next to my make-up artist and I, almost glaring at her until she stepped away and he was able to move in and give me a hug. I tried to turn my face away so he wouldn't end up with the fake blood all over him or his white jacket. As we pulled back I noted the camera was filming it all and tried to ignore the warmth coming to my cheeks.

When I was done, my stylist handed me a nice red jacket, which was about to become a staple in Kei's wardrobe for just about every scene from now until the end. I looked at it with a bit of disdain, as it wasn't really my style at all, but slid it on anyway and made my way onto the set as things began to get noisy around us while the crew started to set up for the upcoming shots.

"Did you get the message from Zeze-san about the gun play?" Gackt asked as I moved near him.

"Is that what this is about? I mean, I know our characters are gun-slingers but are _we_ going to shoot actual guns?" I questioned, actually quite anxious to test such a thing out.

Gackt nodded at me and looked off set for a bit. "On set it will be fake, but I wanted you to learn how to do the real thing so that it will look believable on screen. So I had them set up a shooting gallery just off-set and we're going to test it out after we get this first shot in," Gackt stopped and turned to face me. "Are you excited, Hyde?"

I nodded back at him. I'd never actually shot off a real gun before but the idea of learning how to was exciting. Gackt seemed excited too, though I knew this was nothing new to him. After all, this is the guy who has a shooting gallery in the basement of his house, I recalled.

We did a few takes of the scene until Zeze was satisfied with the tape and then he dismissed us while they prepared the extras and hydraulics for the upcoming warehouse gun battle, the first scene of the movie that features Gackt. Gackt and I walked to another area in the warehouse and toward a staff member directing us to where the shooting gallery had been set up. As we got inside the new location, they handed us protective goggles and showed us the guns we were about to use. Gackt picked a gun up immediately, tossing it between his hands and then flipping it ala mafia style, much to my surprise. He pointed out which one was mine and I took it gently, following him into the shooting arena.

"Have you ever shot a gun before, Hyde?" He asked, extending an arm toward the area I was supposed to stand.

"I always thought it would be cool but no, I haven't. I've never had any need to, I suppose…" I responded as Gackt put his goggles on and attached a large paper with a silhouetted target onto a clip that then was dragged many meters away from us. When it reached a wall in the back, he told me to pull my goggles down over my eyes and I complied as he lined up his shot and fired off the rounds. I stood there slack-jawed when the gun emptied and the paper began to move back toward us as Gackt studied the holes in the area of the silhouettes heart.

"Ok Hyde, hold your gun steady in your hands," Gackt started, placing a fresh new paper on the clip before it pulled away from us. He then disappeared behind me. "Spread your legs a bit, bending at the knees…" I obeyed what he said and felt him move in close, brushing his hips against my backside as he lined his body up behind mine. Had it been anyone else behind me I probably would have felt violated at how closely we were standing, but as Gackt's fingers slid around my waist, it didn't feel uncomfortable at all; in fact, it felt kind of good. "Now raise your gun, aiming it at the target, and move your finger onto the trigger,"

I moved the gun upward and Gackt's right hand left my waist and traveled up my body to move on top of my hand, slowly pushing my fingers to wrap around the base and my pointer to wrap around the trigger. Gackt pulled his entire body in closer to me as he was positioning my hands and I could feel him moving himself along my ass.

"It feels good, doesn't it, Hyde," he whispered in my ear. I tried to concentrate on the target ahead of me but Gackt was proving to be quite a distraction standing with me so intimately. "Now… _squeeze_…"

I pulled on the trigger and the gun let out a loud bang, the mechanic in my hand jolting slightly as the bullet was released and the shot fired into the arm of the silhouetted figure. I started to breath out quickly, the adrenaline of what just happened startling me as Gackt pulled away from behind and complimented my first shot. I turned to look back at him and he smiled at me, telling me to try it again. I lined up the gun and gave another pull on the trigger but this time the shot didn't even hit a space on the paper.

"I messed up," I shouted, my ears slightly ringing from the firing sound still resonating.

"You're not standing correctly," Gackt reprimanded and from behind I felt his hands move onto my hip, careful long fingers sliding forward and digging on the bones there. "_Spread. Bend_." I moved my stance a bit as he commanded and raised the gun again, still very much aware of Gackt's fingers wrapped around my waist. When I pulled the gun this time, it landed square in the center of the target. When Gackt let go of me and stepped aside, I tried it to fire the gun on my own and once more it missed the paper.

I sighed in frustration, almost about to whine. "I can't seem to do it without you," I dejectedly admitted, pushing the goggles up off my face where they sat roughly on my head, disheveling my hair. Gackt just smiled crookedly at me.

"Well Hyde you're going to have to learn. Sho can't be penetrating Kei from behind every time he needs to fire a shot at some baddie," Gackt chuckled.

I blushed at his comment. _Penetrating_? It sounded so… _rough_.

"Give it one more go," Gackt said and smiled at me. I tried to ignore everything and concentrate completely on the target. _One, bend; two, aim; three... imagine Gackt's hands on my hips... BANG._

Dead center in the figure. I smiled at my accomplishment.

"See, I knew you could do it, Hyde," Gackt complimented and slung his arm around my neck. I hurriedly lowered the gun but Gackt swiped it out of my hands.

"We should probably get back to set then," I said, taking my goggles off of my head completely. Gackt raised my gun and fired one last shot into my holey target as it went straight into the silhouettes head.

* * *

-_Gackt's POV-_

_**A**_s Hyde and I walked back to set, I couldn't stop staring at his backside. The shooting gallery was a perfect opportunity to get up-close-and-personal to Hyde's enjoyable little ass again but now I found that it was something I couldn't stop thinking about.

As I twirled the stage guns in my hands, preparing for the upcoming scene, Hyde was having the wire appendage attached to his body and I was reminded that I, too, was going to have a wire-work related scene coming up later this afternoon.

We went outside for a brief smoke-break then and looked over the script together as I explained the way I wanted one of the scenes to pan out. Hyde kept looking at me with big smiles but I couldn't read what they meant. All I could tell when I looked at him was that his eyes looked really tired. We were photographed and filmed endlessly today, Miya following us around with both cameras and taking more shots than I had anticipated.

Hyde and I had all of our scenes in this warehouse today – some gun slinging, some wire work for each of us, and very few dialogue. It wasn't a huge set of scenes, but many of the shots had to be taken multiple times to make sure the guns "fired" correctly and the audio was clear, and that the angles were right…

We finished somewhere late in the afternoon and since neither of us took lunch, due to more training needed on our parts, we decided to head right out for some dinner. Hyde was relatively quiet most of the night and I was somewhat as well; my mind floating around between the movie, upcoming scenes, a slight ache forming in my back, and Hyde. Always I was thinking about Hyde.

After a short and mostly silent dinner, we hailed a cab back to the hotel and hopped into an elevator together. The slight ache in my back had increased somewhat and I figured it was from all the air-cartwheels I had been doing while attached to the wires for one of my stunts. It took more shots than I had anticipated but as somewhat of a perfectionist, I wanted it to look as realistic as possible. When I was satisfied with the scene, we moved on but it wasn't without a minor soreness in the lower part of my back that continued to grow throughout the day. I stretched slightly, twisting my body around as we rode the elevator to the top floors of our hotel.

"What's wrong?" Hyde asked suddenly, causing me to stop worrying about myself and put all my attention back on him.

"Oh it's nothing much. My back is a little sore," I twisted again and Hyde nodded, his eyes going down to watch my hands as they rubbed a small spot of my lower back. "Drinks?" I asked, changing the topic.

"Sure," Hyde replied.

"My room or yours?" The elevator was nearing Hyde's floor.

"Doesn't really matter. Though we already spent a good deal of time in mine…" Hyde commented, likely in referral to last night, just as the cart reached the top floor and the doors rang open. Hyde stepped out ahead of me and I grinned to myself as I followed him, again enjoying the view. When we entered my room I asked him what he wanted and he said it didn't matter so I took hold of the nearest cold bottles and brought them out to the living space where Hyde had already sat himself down comfortably on the couch.

"You look awful tired, Hyde. As a matter of fact, you've looked like that all day," I commented as I sat in the chair adjacent to the couch and opened the drink.

"Yeah…" was his quiet reply as he took a sip and stared blankly into the distance. I was losing his attention so I tried to turn his focus back on me as I sat up straight and twisted my back again. Hyde looked over at me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Mm, I'll be fine," I said, wincing as I did so in an attempt to appear 'unconvincing'. It must have worked because Hyde sat his drink down and stood up.

"Ok, it's your turn then," he started, making a shaky gesture. I turned my head quizzically at him. "Come on, I owe you a back rub, remember?"

I grinned to myself – so he _did_ remember. Things were panning out perfectly so far. I stood up and removed my shirt, causing Hyde's tired eyes to light up momentarily as he openly stared at my chest and stomach muscles.

"Where do you want me?" I asked, tossing my shirt on the chair behind me and trying to keep my sinful thoughts hidden. Hyde scratched his head in an almost nervous manner. "I personally think the floor is best so let's move this table again," I suggested and we both got to work on removing the furniture.

After it was done I joyfully laid down on my stomach, propping my head on my crossed arms and awaiting Hyde's next action.

"I have to admit, I'm really not sure what to do here, Gacchan," Hyde said with a nervous laugh in his voice as he sat down next to me.

"I know you've never done this before but it's not difficult, Hyde," I started and tilted my head to look at him. "Just put your hands on me and rub and I guarantee you it will feel good."

The innuendos weren't being missed by Hyde who gave me a playful mock-glare before shifting closer to me and placing his warm hands on my back. As Hyde moved his hands around, his lack of skill in the art of massage quite noticeable, we fell into an easy conversation of the shots we filmed during the day. Soon we were into discussion about Sho and Kei and some of the meanings behind the upcoming scenes. The room had darkened over time as the sun finally reached the end of its day and began to set behind the walls of the hotel. Hyde's voice quieted in tone the more we spoke and the more his hands worked around my back. I noticed that the setting suddenly felt very intimate.

I turned my head so that I could see Hyde; his determined, yet soft expression as he moved his hands around, unaware that I was watching him, was quite intriguing to me. Soon he caught on that I was staring.

"What?" Hyde suddenly blurted out. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"No, no," I replied with a smile. "Everything you're doing feels great," I stated, my voice a bit lower and much quieter then the last time. Hyde turned his attention on my back again, a small smile filling his face at my praise. As I lay there, watching his smile and feeling his hands caressing my back with a gentle pressure, I couldn't help my thoughts from running to the idea of having his hands somewhere else on my body.

In the quietness of this moment I suddenly wanted more of Hyde – more of him on me, more of myself on him, just_ more_. I tried to relax my brain and calm my thoughts as Hyde continued to rub my back but my desires were fighting for control and I found myself hastily sitting upright, shocking Hyde at my abrupt movement.

"Gacchan? I'm sorry, did I--"

I grabbed hold of Hyde's shoulders quickly and pressed my lips onto his. Hyde made an overwhelmed sound as our mouths met and I moved my hands quickly around his back, pulling him as close to me as I could while we were sitting on the floor. I felt Hyde's hands pushing at my shoulders, almost as though he was going to push me away but never quite got that far. Instead, nimble fingers curved and started to dig into my skin as his tongue graced my lips and I bid it entry to my mouth. _Well that was his doing, not mine_, I delightfully thought to myself as Hyde continued to deepen our kiss. Just as it was getting pleasurable, he pulled back sharply.

"Why?" I questioned him, slightly out of breath. Hyde's eyes were at the widest I'd seen them all day and he moved a hand to his mouth.

"It's wrong, Gacchan, it's just… wrong…" was his reply as he sat with me on the floor, our legs nearly intertwined from the last few moments.

"What makes it wrong?" I pursued, palming a hand over his knee and slowly sliding it upward. Hyde's eyes darted to my hand which was quickly nearing his crotch. "Does this _feel wrong_ to you, Hyde?" I asked, cupping my fingers around the slight protrusion in his pants.

Hyde let out a strained, breathy sound and his eyes fluttered as I touched him. I reached my fingers to the waistband of his leathers and gave a small tug on them. Hyde's hand joined mine, but only for a moment as he pulled my hand away from his body.

"Why are you always pulling away from me, Hyde?" I demanded as nicely as possible.

"I'm not_ always_ pulling away, Gackt; only when you do stuff _like that_. Look I enjoy being with you as a _friend_ but we can't keep doing this!" Hyde huffed and stood up, picking up his drink from the table and taking a long gulp.

"I don't see why not," I responded in honesty, standing up and following Hyde who had moved to the small kitchen area of my hotel room. He put his half-emptied bottle into the sink and I chased him, trapping him in the corner of the tiny room when he turned around and found himself surprised to see me right there. "You can't say you don't enjoy _this_ part of our friendship as well," I finished, leaning forward to catch Hyde's lips on mine. It was easy to break down his defenses whenever our mouths met. I always found pleasure in kissing Hyde and I believed that feeling was mutual.

As we kissed, my hand snuck its way to the string of his leather pants and I tugged roughly on it, causing the waistband to loosen open. Hyde made a noise within my mouth as I slid my hand inside of his pants, and I was surprised to find he wasn't wearing anything under them. I moaned quietly as my hand began to explore downward, past his coarse hairs and onto the soft flesh.

"And I _know_ you enjoyed _this_," I mumbled against his mouth as I wrapped my fingers around his lengthening member. Hyde groaned deep in his throat and the sound only served to increase my desire for what was taking place. I pulled back momentarily to see the look on Hyde's face as my hand made the first stroke. His small lips were turned into a pout, as most often saw him posing, and it always made me wonder how he could give such full, deep kisses with them…

* * *

-_Hyde's POV_-

_**S**_ometimes I wondered how my life always managed to tumble so quickly. And right now I was wondering why this time it was taking_ Gackt_ with me.

Sure I was tired beyond anything but I agreed to meet with Gackt for drinks after dinner. It was harmless of course, as long as I stuck to one drink and got out of there when I was done. But his back was sore from the wire training _(and after watching him attempt that air-sprung cartwheel 50 times over on set, I can fully imagine why_), and I had agreed to give him a backrub back when he gave me mine and was simply returning the favor when Gackt decided that he wanted more from me than just that.

Let me interrupt to say there is something wonderful about the way Gackt kisses. I can't quite explain it but it has an effect on me that is like no other thing I've felt. Perhaps it is due to his plump lips; I don't know another Japanese with such gorgeous lips. Of course it's not just the way they look; it's the way they _feel _as well. And they feel the way they look, if that makes any sort of sense. Well I said I couldn't accurately explain it and it's not like it even matters when those wonderful lips are on mine because I forget everything else around me; I forget that I'm in another country so different from my own, forget that I'm a celebrity who could be hugely blackmailed if anyone would ever find out what was taking place, and I especially forget about back home where I have a wife who has no clue what I'm getting into right now…

Suddenly in my head raced thoughts of Megumi – _why now, of all times?_ – and how earlier I was fretting over what would happen if she would ever leave me but now here I was, being an unfaithful cad. So I told Gackt that '_it's wrong'_ what we're doing and that '_we can't'_ but he always had something to retort with:

"_Stop saying that you 'can't' Hyde. It's not a matter of can or can't_ _because we both know that you _**can**_ do to me whatever you want and I _can _and_ will_ very much enjoy it, as will you…"_

And then Gackt's touching me; on my face, or a hand in my hair, moving quickly to my waist and soon he puts a hand_ there_… and I find it's all too much to handle standing up against the hard surfaces of the small kitchen corner in this sinful hotel suite so we move out of the spot and hurriedly into the bedroom space…

I _was _tired before but the adrenaline rush to my brain woke me. The heat pooling into my groin was probably another factor…

Gackt started kissing me again the second we entered the dark bedroom and we shuffled together (_our leather pants don't mingle smoothly against one another and it sure is noisy_)until the back of my legs reached the mattress and I willingly tumbled back. Gackt followed me down quickly and reached again for my opened leather pants (_ala the easy-access string-laced waist… knew I brought these with me for a reason_). But I had to stop him because he's too eager and I wasn't sure I was actually ready for this.

"Wait, _Gacchan, wait_…" I broke the kiss and breathily started to say. Gackt moved his mouth to my neck and I could feel him starting to nibble there so I had to grip his shoulders and practically pry him away from my body. It felt a little cooler around me suddenly.

"I _have_ been waiting, Hyde. I _can't _wait any longer," Gackt's voice was as impatient sounding as his words portrayed.

"It's not a matter of _can or can't_," I said, spitting his earlier words back at him. He blinked and a light of sobriety crossed his face when he realized what I said.

"But I thought you wanted--"

"I don't know what I want, Gacchan! I'm… _confused_," I replied. It sounded stupid, childish; I hated it. _Because I think I really do know what I want; I'm just too scared to admit it_.

"Let me help you then," Gackt said in his smooth voice as he kissed tenderly along my jaw line and then I felt a hand on my stomach that started to move south…

"No, _stop_, you--" He shouldn't go there again but he already has. And it felt too good to tell him to stop _now_. I tossed my head back as he rubbed his hand along my erection and it wasn't until I felt Gackt shift his body weight above me that I realized just how hard he was himself.

This was the start of the third time now that Gackt is about to give me a hand job _(…not that I'm actually keeping count or anything…_) and it occurred to me yet again that in all the time I've known him I have not yet returned the favor. Nor have I even _seen_ _it_ yet.

But then, would I even know what to do? Granted I suppose that if anything, a man should know exactly what to do to another man because the parts are the same. The fumbling interactions of being atop a woman's body are no longer there because now I'm on the bottom, lying on the bed, and there's another man on top of me. I already know Gackt knows exactly what he's doing, if the amazing sensations i'm experiencing are any indication, but if I want to try and switch it up, how would I even know what to do next? Just because I had relations with Sakura years ago doesn't mean I actually did anything as far as this.

Though no one knows the true details of our former relationship (well Sakura does, naturally). People can think what they want; lord only knows what Gackt imagines I've done, but truth be told, I was younger and more innocent then. And yet I never stop wondering that maybe if we _had _done more this wouldn't be so awkward to me right now. But in the same respect, I probably wouldn't be with Megumi then either.

Oh god, Megumi. Somehow it never fails that she pops into my mind at the most inopportune moments. I could see her now, her eyes wide and her mouth raging expletives at all the things I've done… and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of her invading my thoughts in such moments.

So I reached around Gackt's head, filling my fist with his braids and tugging to get him to look at my face again. When he finally did I shook my head '_no_'. I could see he didn't understand why I'd turn such wonderful attention away but it was only a moment he looked confused because it only took that moment for me to undo the hook of his own leather pants and then he realized what I was heading toward.

Gackt lifted his body up, allowing me to move into a sitting position on the bed and then he copied my pose. Our breathing was irregular as we sat facing each other on the bed in the dark room.

"I haven't…" I cautiously began. _No, let's not start that way… _"It's been a while since…" _Lies…_ I undid the rest of Gackt's pants and the flaps fell open. "I might not be that--"

But Gackt's lips were on mine, stopping me from uttering useless phrases that he obviously didn't care about. His mouth was on my mouth. His hand was on my hand. His other hand was moving into my pants again and on my—

I gasped into Gackt's mouth as he firmly took hold of my erect member so my own hands fumbled quickly back to Gackt's pants. I couldn't see what I was doing though and I wanted to see. I think I needed to see. But I found that now more than ever, I really just wanted to see_ it_.

Reluctantly I pulled back from our torrid kiss and slightly pushed Gackt's face away from mine. He opened his eyes slowly and I could see a slight confusion hiding behind those faux baby blues I had grown to adore so much.

"Can you stop touching me for two seconds?" I whispered, a light tone to my voice. Gackt grinned at me.

"I _can_ Hyde, but I don't want to," he whispered back, leaning in to place kisses along the side of my face since I had turned away from his mouth.

"Please?" I near-begged, leaning back just enough that Gackt's mouth could no longer reach my face. "I want to…"

Leaving the sentence hanging open captured Gackt's curiosity and he pulled back a little, resting his hands on either side of my legs.

"What do you want, Hyde?" Gackt's voice was tender, quiet, and yet seductive. "Tell me…" I ran my tongue across my teeth and boldly reached forward, grabbing the opened flaps of Gackt's pants.

"I want to--"

But before anything could happen, a shrill beeping tone sounded, startling me while Gackt remained somehow almost perfectly still. He deftly reached into the back pocket of his pants and pulled out his thin cellphone, eyeing the contact name for a moment before flipping open the phone to answer it.

"Moshi moshi?" Gackt calmly asked into his phone and I nearly swallowed my tongue. _The hell?_ I couldn't understand how in the middle of something _like this_ he would pause to answer his phone. I'm sitting here exposed and my hands are just about inside his pants and he's casually _having a conversation_ on his phone!

My libido rapidly began to fall then as I was incredibly turned-off by how easily Gackt seemed to ignore what I thought had been turning into quite an intimate session between us. I let go of Gackt's pants and sat back, angrily pulling myself back into my pants and about to curse at the fact I had to figure out how to re-lace the damn things when I felt Gackt's hand close tightly around my wrist. I looked up at him and he was giving me that all-too-familiar smirk.

"Hyde? Yes, he's quite good," Gackt spoke into the phone while continuing to stare at me. I was oddly interested in why he started to speak louder and openly talk about me as we sat across from each other with our pants undone. "I really love working with him," Gackt continued his phone conversation as he reached his hand past mine and began to rub me from outside confines of my pants. I couldn't help the moan of surprise that escaped my mouth. "Oh yes, if you could only see him the way _I_ have,"

And suddenly the whole act was feeling rather _dirty_. I had no idea who Gackt was speaking to but he didn't seem to care that they might possibly be hearing me loudly breathing or moaning in the background. Gackt stared deep into my eyes as his hand continued to rub me and he conversed on the phone. Gradually, I became turned-on by this somewhat exhibitionary act.

And it was in that short moment I found myself instantly on Gackt, lapping at his collar bone as my hands reached down to his pants once more. Gackt still had the phone up to his ear and appeared to be listening more than speaking now, other than a few short '_Ah_' and '_Yes_' responses, which I wasn't sure were in reply to the person on the line or the things I was currently doing with my tongue. But he began to recline backward then, shifting so he could rest his upper back along the pillows sitting up against the headboard. I moved with him, continuing to lick and nip along his bare chest. Whenever I'd look up at him, he appeared to be trying hard not to let out any tell-tale sounds, lest his phone companion decipher what was happening.

My hands went back to Gackt's pants and I grinned to myself with a sick knowledge: _So this is it; I am going to see what those Takano Yuri ads denied the world of. I am going to find out why some people call it a 'Magnum'. I am going to—_

There was a somewhat arousing vibrating sensation from my backside which just happened to be my own cell phone buzzing. I tried to ignore it but it went off again and was too startling to let it just sit in the back pocket of my pants. As Gackt reclined on the bed, his half-lidded eyes still intently watching me, I sat up straight to retrieve my phone and see that I had received a picture message… _Well it can't be more important than the monumental event about to occur_, but out of unavoidable curiosity I flipped open my phone to find a picture message from Ken of him, Ein and Sakura holding disturbingly large inflatable dildos at their crotches with the words, "_I bet you won't want to miss the S.O.A.P. show now!_"…Oh_ god_.

And unfortunately that image threw into shock what was possibly about to occur between myself and the tall gorgeous man lying on the bed beneath me. In that instant I panicked and found myself quickly trying to lace my pants back up and soon Gackt's hand was on top of my wrist to stop me yet again.

"I have to go now, but I will call you back when I have more time," Gackt said and clicked his phone shut. "_Hyde--_"

"No. Please don't even _coo_ my name, Gacchan," I started, pushing his hands out of my way and wrapping the damned lace strings into a ball, shoving them into my pants before plodding off of the bed.

"Hyde, wait," Gackt was following me, and I could hear the flaps of his leather pants slapping against the fabric as he speedily walked behind me. I gathered my shoes and headed for the door. "Hyde I don't understand you!" Gackt shouted.

I stopped just as my hand was on the handle and turned around to face him.

"What?"

"I don't understand, Hyde. You're always doing this – we get close and then you pull away. What is that all about? Tell me what it is that's bothering you, please," Gackt was nearly pleading for me not to leave but the last thing I wanted right now was to stay here and let myself easily fall right back into the compromising situation. "Hyde--"

"I'm sorry I have to go Gacchan. But I just can't do this," I pulled the door open and rushed out but I could hear that Gackt was following me, open fly and all.

"It's not a matter of_ can_ or--"

"Oh stop it!" I yelled, turning around to face him. "Stop with the bullshit, Gackt! Look I **can't **do this, ok? I don't know what you were expecting out of me and this movie and Taiwan, but whatever the hell is going on between us is really starting to fuck with my head and I don't think I can handle it anymore!"

Gackt was silent for a while. I should have turned around and kept walking down that hallway, get on that elevator and go back to my room, alone, but I couldn't stop looking at his face and the expression he was wearing – I couldn't place it and it was killing me to know what he was thinking right now. Minutes passed as we stood in the empty hallway with hair disheveled and pants partially undone, just staring at each other. Had it not been so late at night or such a deserted floor I might have worried about someone finding us and wondering what was going on.

"Come back inside," Gackt quietly said. I looked at him almost incredulously. But he hung his head slightly and mouthed '_onegai_' and it wasn't a beg or a plead out of the drooling mouth of some horny guy; it was an honest request from my friend.

And since I'm ridiculously weak against those sparkling fake blue contacts, I sighed and followed him right back into his hotel room.

(AN: _onegai : please)_

* * *

_-Gackt's POV-_

_**S**_hall I commend myself or just consider it good fortune that I was able to get Hyde back into my hotel room so easily?

I wasn't sure if I was at fault for the phone call or what the real story was here but it was starting to become a burden the way Hyde seemed to be continuously running away from the situation at hand. And quite literally at _hand_ most times too, as was the case again tonight.

Hyde sighed loudly and plopped himself on the small couch. I stood beside it, re-buttoning my pants and trying to gauge just how to start off a conversation. I wanted to talk about what was happening, what almost just happened, and yet I didn't want to say anything to make him feel any more awkward or uncomfortable or to give him the idea of fleeing again.

Instead, I sat down next to him, far enough apart that anyone could easily seat themselves between us. I didn't look at Hyde; I didn't mutter a word. But out of the corner of my eye I saw him turn his head to look at me.

"Well?" Hyde started.

I offered a sigh in response.

Hyde pursued. "You told me to come back and I came back. So now what?"

"I wish I knew," I said with a small smile, finally turning my head to look at Hyde. I shifted my body and made myself comfortable. "As much as you don't seem to want to, I'd really love to talk about what's going on here,"

Hyde's eyes were quick to avert mine then as he seemed to suddenly find something on the ground far more interesting than the topic I had just brought up. I watched him evade my glare, his hands fiddling with one another, then finding the strings from his pants and abruptly trying to lace them back up. After I'd had enough of his avoidance, I reached out with my hand, lightly touching two fingers to his chin and turning his head up and over to face me.

I offered a tender smile and quietly started to speak; "If it makes you feel any better, I don't know what to say about the situation any more than you do, Hyde,"

"Liar," Hyde quietly spat back.

"Me?" I asked. Hyde tossed his head away, causing my touch to leave his skin.

"You're always so elegant with words. I'm sure you could fill the next three hours making this twisted relationship we have into the most exquisitely sounding thing ever," He scoffed and stood up. "And you could tell anyone that would listen, because they would. Whenever you open your mouth people want to listen to you,"

I furrowed my brow, wondering where Hyde was going with this. He paced once around the coffee table before stopping in front of me.

"You could tell them the most extreme absurdity in the world but all they have to do is look at you and they'd believe it's true. Even when it's not. Even if it's…"

"Hyde--" I started.

"They just look into your eyes… people just look at you and become weak, Gacchan."

"Which people?" I whispered. Hyde hung his head low, the front of his hairs shielding his face from my view. I stood up and my hands reached out to find the sides of Hyde's face and turn up his head so he was looking at me, but then he closed his eyes. "You're not weak, Hyde."

"I never thought so either. But around you I feel pathetic," he whispered back, finally opening his eyes and staring confusedly into mine.

I smiled at him and offered a breathy laugh. "No you're not. At least, you're no less weak against me than I am for you."

Hyde blinked and I continued.

"Oh, don't feign innocence. I'm sure even those who don't know what's been happening between us is at least under the impression that I have quite the obsession for you, Hyde."

Hyde blushed only slightly before pulling away from my embrace on his face. "Stop it,"

"But it's true. Hyde, I've been obsessed with you since the first time I saw you on my television. Do you have any idea how long ago that was?"

"Are you trying to point out how old I am?" Hyde replied, that quirky smirk appearing on his boyish features.

"I've told you countless times how much of a dream come true it is to have you by my side working on this movie, which is such an important part in everything I do, honest. To have this happening right now…" I began, leaning forward to once again take Hyde's face within my hands. "To have _this_ happen…"

In a gentle move I touched my lips softly to Hyde's. This time, he didn't pull away nor even flinch. Although he didn't push forward or barely even move, he let me caress his mouth gently with my lips for a few moments. I pulled back slowly, opening my eyes to see that Hyde's still remained closed just a little bit longer.

"Hyde, I don't really know what's going on between us either," I began, lowering my voice to a whisper, because I was surprised at the slight tremor my voice was carrying. "Everything happening to me has been surreal. The pieces of the puzzle are all coming together in such perfect alignment that I can hardly believe things are going as well as they are. It's almost as if I'm stuck in a dream and every morning just before the sun comes up, I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and this will all just be figments of a broken hallucination,"

Hyde's mouth hung open as he watched me speak;

"So you see why I need to hear you say _something_ about what you think is occurring within our intertwined lives? Otherwise I might think you're just another fabrication of this wonderful reverie I've been circling in. Tell me it feels real to you Hyde… tell me--"

"Shut up," Hyde interrupted, pulling away from me.

"Hyde--"

"See, there you go again; putting all those graceful words together, spilling them out of your perfect mouth and looking at me with those goddamned amazing eyes of yours - fake or not, god I don't even care anymore, but somehow you just say things and make me want you," Hyde finished.

"Hyde, I just—_what_?" I blinked. _Did I hear that last part correctly_?

"I don't know what's going on either, Gacchan. But I know that right now I think I want you,"

"Hyde… you--"

"Shut up,"

And in a flash, Hyde's hands were grabbing my face and pulling me down. He smashed his lips onto mine, then he snaked a hand around the back of me, gripping his fingers into my hair as though he were capturing my entire head and keeping it all to his own.

I could barely breathe in the mini-frenzy that just took place so I had to do something to alleviate myself, and brought my hands around his slim hips, quickly moving them around his back to pull him even closer to me. As I went in for the exciting act our tongues were about to begin, Hyde's hand appeared suddenly in front of his mouth, blocking me from the goal.

"Gacchan, _wait_…"

I tried not to sigh audibly but already I feared that he was planning to freak out and run away again. Instead, I took a deep breath and tried to calmly prepare myself for what was to come.

* * *

_-Hyde's POV-_

_**I**_ could see a bit of brief disappointment in Gackt's eyes, even behind those tiny fake pieces of plastic he hid them beneath. But I knew where things were about to lead again and truth be told, I just was not ready for that yet.

"Honest? I'm kind of tired and don't really want to… _do _anything tonight," I admitted, dropping my hand so I had a clear view of Gackt's entire face again.

"Will you stay?" he near-pleaded.

"Stay?" I asked. _Another night of sharing a bed? But I need to get some sleep this time…_

"Yes, stay here with me. We won't… _do_ anything if you don't want to," He chuckled lightly. "But at least let me be with you a little while longer. It's all I'm asking," Gackt's shoulders slumped down a little as he said it.

I pondered the thought for a moment but it was apparently a moment too long for Gackt's tastes because soon he was prodding with questions --

"What happened to how badly you just said you wanted me?" He questioned in earnest.

I raised a crooked eyebrow at him and briefly pondered my response. "Firstly, I never said I wanted you _badly_. And secondly, since when does wanting you mean I have to be all over you? Maybe I just… want to… be_ with_ you instead," It sounded strange coming out of my mouth but surprisingly I was actually pleased with that answer.

"So stay the night then," Gackt repeated, stepping closer to me and taking my shoulders under his hands. "I promise I won't try anything unwelcomed,"

I had to stare into his eyes long enough to see if I could actually look through them and find the truth there. And while the contacts did their best to stop me, somehow I could still tell that he was being honest.

"Alright. But don't smother me this time, I can't sleep like that. I need my space," I argued momentarily.

"Oh I found that out. As soon as you fell into sleep you smacked me upside the chin and sprawled out over most of the bed," Gackt said, rubbing the back of his head at the thought. "I had to make due with a small sliver of space on the other end until you finally rolled over again,"

I felt somewhat embarrassed and also confused, having not remembered actually catching any sleep at all.

"Sorry, Gacchan. I didn't mean it, of course…" I said as Gackt placed a hand on his hip as he looked at me.

"I doubt sleeping in those pants will be comfortable. You want me to find something else for you to slip into? Actually, you don't have to wear anything if that's what you'd prefer." Gackt smirked and reached out to grab at my waist. "I'm obviously not going to object to--"

"Gackt, I'll be fine," I said, smacking down his hand. "I've actually slept in leather pants several times by mistake," Gackt nodded and disappeared to the bedroom as I found my way to his bathroom. When I caught my reflection in the mirror I couldn't help but stare at it. The face looking back at me didn't seem my own – the wide eyes trying to conceal their anxiety, the trembling lip, the twitching eyebrows… But what was there to worry? Again, this was nothing new between us, having shared a bed in the past. And I took Gackt at his word. _I had to. _After splashing my face in the sink I dabbed it dry with a spare towel and made my way out. As I shuffled slowly toward the bedroom, Gackt was already lying down, his hands behind his head on the pillow and nothing but a comfortable looking pair of sweats hanging low on his hips. _I'm tired, I'm tired, I'm tired…_

"Hyde," and dare I say Gackt cooed my name in his soft, melodic voice.

"What…" I responded, purposely not facing Gackt as I sat on the other end of the bed and began to fluff my pillow.

"Are you ready for tomorrow's scenes?"

Why oh _why_ is he making small talk about the movie _now_?

"I'm sure I am. But right now I'm tired and I just want to sleep," I replied with a sigh as I shifted my legs up onto the bed and laid down on my side, still not facing the man sharing the soft mattress with me.

"I understand. I will try to be quiet," I heard Gackt say and it was then that my curiosity was sparked.

"What do you mean 'be quiet'? What are you going to be doing?" I asked, lifting my head to look back at him. He was still lying in the same position, only with his eyes closed now.

"Oh nothing at this moment, but you know me; I'm restless and probably won't be able to sleep. And since I can't touch you, I'll probably be up and doing something else in a few minutes," Gackt said, peeking an eye open to look in my direction.

I sighed and rolled onto my back. "Look, I don't want you all over me when I'm trying to sleep but I didn't say you couldn't even touch me,"

"Really?" Gackt responded and in an instant was right next to me, a graceful hand running up and down my arm. He rolled onto his side, propping his head up so he could look at me as his hand tenderly made pointless circles along my arm and chest.

"I do want to try and get some sleep though, so at least grant me that much," I said, with all intentions of rolling back onto my other side and yet I didn't want to move away from Gackt's touch right now…

"I respect that. I'll just watch you until you fall asleep then," Gackt quietly answered, staring down at me with a very wanting look.

"Gackt that's kind of unnerving…" I replied.

"What, this?" he asked, moving his hand in deft slow, strokes across my chest and stomach.

"N-no, the 'watching me until I'm asleep' part," I responded, since I was rather enjoying the petting.

"I'm sorry. Shall I wait until you're fully asleep to stare at you then, like I've done all the other times?" Gackt quietly remarked.

"…stop it, you're weirding me out," I said with a slight chuckle.

"Ok, ok. I'll let you sleep," And then he retrieved his hand and rolled onto his back and suddenly I felt alone, despite the fact he was only a few inches away from me.

I rolled over to face him then and either Gackt was good at playing games or he was actually going to leave me alone until I was asleep. He laid still, mildly breathing, with a hand behind his head and the other on his chest, his eyes appearing to be deeply shut.

"Gacchan…" I near-whimpered, feeling pathetic the moment it escaped my mouth and yet happy that it was like an instant secret code to get Gackt to put all of his attention on me. The moment I uttered it, he opened his eyes and turned his head to face me with a smile.

"Shhh, you go to sleep now, Hydee-Hyde," Gackt responded, also turning on his side so that we were facing each other.

"I can't," I admitted.

"Why not? I thought you were tired," Gackt questioned, still smiling at me.

"I am… but this is still a little unusual to me," I quietly admitted.

"How can that be? I don't find a single thing _unusual _about lying next to you, Hyde," Gackt whispered, sliding in just a little bit closer and making tiny traces along my hand with his finger. I was secretly thrilled to have him touching me again, as slight as it was. "For me it feels…" Gackt's voice trailed off as he pulled my hand up close to his face, breathing on it before kissing the knuckles. "Good. Right. _Destined_."

"Yeah, I'm not quite at that comfort level yet so you're going to have to bear with me," I said with a quiet chuckle.

Gackt continued to hold my hand near his face and used his free fingers to draw along my arm. The sensations felt good so I continued to stare at him until my weary eyes gave way to the sleep that was so eager to consume me.

* * *

_-Gackt's POV-_

_**N**_ot that I usually get much sleep on a regular night, but last night was a special exception in that I had the pleasure of once again staring at Hyde's perfect sleeping form for several hours.

I left the shades open and thanked the Moon for being so bright on this night, because its beams shining in through my window were creating the perfect amount of light for me to see Hyde's features.

Unfortunately, all-too-soon the cruel sun started its way through the window and I decided that it was finally time to rise and face another day. Hyde wasn't lying when he said he was tired, for he slept so soundly he that hadn't moved much during the night except one or two points where he actually seemed to pull in closer to me, as if he wanted to be held. My greedy arms wanted nothing more than to take his small body into them, but lest the fear of waking and possibly angering him, I objected the motion and instead occasionally gave his body some gentle, reassuring rubs.

The real truth is that whenever I am touching Hyde, it's so exhilarating to my senses that I almost go crazy every time I am given the opportunity to do so. So now as he lie sleeping close to me, I knew I'd really have to sustain myself, no matter how badly I wanted to fully take him into my embrace.

Though it should probably be mentioned that I stole a kiss or two in the darkest of hours.

I rose gently from the soft mattress we had shared all night and went to the main room to do some stretching and exercising before taking a nice long shower to rejuvenate. As the coffee pot began to gurgle, I read over today's call sheet, frowning to myself to see that I actually had very little shared time with Hyde today.

I also had to be on set in an hour and Hyde was still fast asleep.

Well, I didn't want to wake him or chase him out. From what I'd learned, Hyde was a late sleeper, and occasionally had been slightly tardy to set because of it. And since he wasn't even required to shoot until closer to noon, I figured I'd let him rest in my bed for as long as he so chose. I ordered up some room service for breakfast and set it nicely at the table in my bedroom before grabbing my stuff and heading out.

I arrived on set and met with LeeHom and we began chatting in simple Mandarin. He pointed out instantly that I looked tired and I told him I really hadn't slept. Not that I ever got much sleep to begin with, but last night I found it impossible to close my eyes for more than a few seconds, lest I miss the golden opportunity to stare at Hyde's face and revel in the fact that the corners of his mouth appeared to be slightly upturned in a constant content smile; Or feeling the envy of his long eyelashes, that they always got to grace his soft cheeks with their presence. And dare I miss the duty of sweeping aside the stray blond hairs that would every now and then threaten to block part of his face from my view.

"No, I really did not sleep at all," I repeated, tossing my head briefly in an attempt to shoo the pleasant memories so I could focus for the day.

"So where's Hyde-san? Isn't he in this scene too?" LeeHom questioned as we made our way to the make-up station.

"We're just taking some re-shoots; close-up shots of our faces, that stuff. Since Hyde is perfect, he doesn't need any," I said with a small laugh as I sat down on the small stool near where LeeHom's makeup artist began her work.

He chuckled and closed his eyes as his foundation was applied. "Gackt, I really have to say thanks again for this opportunity. I love working with you and Hyde. And I can see he's having fun too; at least whenever he's around you he seems really happy…"

LeeHom had suddenly flipped into English, which I was not very good at and his was at a speed much faster than my own so as he began to speak casually, I started to lose some of what he said. The only words I truly made out were 'I love Hyde', 'having fun' and 'really happy'…

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch all of that. Could you repeat it?" My Mandarin sounded so formal sometimes.

"Oh I'm just talking about Hyde," LeeHom went back to Chinese. "He's an amazing little guy. You both get along really well too. I think the three of us should hang out more often but you guys always seem to disappear at night… What have you two been up to?" I saw LeeHom poke his head around his makeup artist and give me a cocked eyebrow and sly grin.

But again, my Chinese was at a loss and because his make-up artist was standing in between us, I didn't catch more than 'Hyde', 'amazing', and 'at night'…

Perhaps it was ridiculous for me to start feeling the way I was, especially given the fact I knew my English was limited and my Chinese was rusty and I wasn't fast enough at translating all of what LeeHom said, but the fact was that over the short time since I'd met Hyde and got to know him better, I found that I had to be around him all the time whenever we were on set and because of this, I'd grown quite a jealous streak over him. It wasn't something I'd ever admit to anyone (considering I had enough trouble admitting it to myself), but more and more I'd recently noticed how strongly the feeling was present.

I wanted a sort of possession over Hyde and whenever we were on set together, I felt like I had that. Even though it was common knowledge how desperately I had worked to convince Hyde to join me for the movie, the fact that he was here now and basically following my every lead and command made me feel like I had control of him. While I often caught myself watching Hyde almost hawk-eyed, he too was often caught following me like a puppy or constantly standing within my shadow. The bottom line was that Hyde and I were fairly inseparable on set and that didn't go unnoticed to anyone present.

Yet in the recent days we tended to be just as inseparable off-set as well, though mostly those going-ons was a knowledge shared solely between us. Or so I thought...

* * *

_It might be some time before I get the next chapter up as I am a little stuck and a lot busy at the moment. But I will keep the story going! I never know when I'm going to be struck with inspiration or feel like writing. I should have at least one more chapter up before the year is out. Thanks again for reading and please review if you feel lead to do so. I really appreciate the feedback!_


End file.
